Playground Love
by Moloko Vellocet
Summary: In Harry's Seventh Year, a boy with a mysterious past arrives at Hogwarts. (not an exchange student, not a songfic!) Told mainly from Ginny's POV. Includes H/G, R/Hr and much angst. Please R/R!!
1. Alex

Chapter One

Hi everyone! This is the first chapter of my new story, "Playground Love" - yes, I did get the idea while listening to that song! - and, it's hopefully something that hasn't been overly done… since my little original character isn't an exchange student, nor is he practically perfect in every way. As the story goes along, I'm sure you'll notice that I'm an avid borrower - I "borrow" little tiny bits from places such as songs, movies, books, my friends… and I hope that you enjoy this. 

And, yet again, something which has concerned my friends considerably - I have an obsession with the name 'Alex'. However, no person I know by that name is in any way incredibly special to me, it's all just part of my strange, strange personality. 

Disclaimer: All Characters, save Alex, belong to JK Rowling. All magical places mentioned also belong to her. I, however, own "Magical Paints and Where to Spray Them", and not much else. The little song at the beginning belongs to Placebo. Enjoy!

***

Chapter One

"Alex"

it seemed to last for hours

it seemed to last for days

this lady of the flowers

and her hypnotic gaze

He sat in the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express, a book entitled: "_Magical Paints and Where to Spray Them_" perched on his lap. Although it was nearly November, and he was the one of the only passengers on the train that day, he was headed off to a new school year – namely, his last one, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

He was the type of boy who, nevermind his reputation, you would either love or despise in the first moment of contact you had with him. It was once said of him: "The looks from his eyes change the courses of lives" – and, to a degree, this was the truth. He was also the type of boy who would make such quick judgements himself, if only to save himself the trouble of deciding later.

His eyes, those incredibly magical orbs, were a pale, soft blue, the kind one buys from hardware stores and paints it on their walls so to remind themselves of its beauty. His hair was jet-black, quite obviously dyed, and yet… you could not tell if this were entirely true. You could ask, and he would tell you the truth in an instant (for he was a man of many words and many truths); but most never did.

It was in this way that I, to total surprise to myself, stumbled upon him in that softly snug compartment – _my _usual compartment – and found that what they had once said was quite undoubtedly the truth.

A quick glance upwards, and I caught sight of those soft, grey-blue eyes for the very first time. His face brightened somewhat, yet he guarded his enthusiasm like a bulldog might guard his master. He closed his book, stood, and stretched his hand out to me. In my dazed state I grasped for it quickly, and smiled anxiously. 

"Hi," he said, shaking my arm. It was only then that I realised he was not reaching out to me as some overly romantic gesture – this was no love at first sight. He smiled cautiously at me, before continuing: "I'm Alex."

I dropped his hand and began to pull my trunk in from the narrow corridor. He watched, grinning, as I huffed and puffed in my attempts to drag it inside. After a few moments, he, shaking his head amusedly, lent his arm to the task and I stood aside. He pushed it underneath the seat opposite him and gestured for me to sit down.

"I've been sick," I blurted as I sat across from him. He studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "I mean, that's why I'm so weak… that's why I'm here." _Why am I justifying myself to someone I don't even know?_ I questioned myself. 

"Oh, okay." He smiled, a little condescendingly, before returning to his book. I nearly kicked myself in rage. _What the hell am I doing?_ I asked myself before glancing up at him again.

His skin was so pale, so white… so perfect. _Not like the freckled mess I've got on my face,_ I thought bitterly. His lashes were long, and they framed his eyes perfectly, setting contrast between his skin and his dark hair. I stared for another moment, and it was as if his entire face was in three colours – no more. Simply black, white, and… blue.

"I'm Virginia, by the way," I said, not wanting the silence to go on for any longer. "I mean, you can call me Ginny if you want, or if you don't…"_ Or if you don't want to call me anything at all,_ my mind echoed. 

This time he smiled and his entire face lit up. I felt as if his eyes were sparkling with stars, they seemed so bright. One look…

And I, Virginia, was forever changed.

***

Please, R/R! Your words, however hurtful, mean the world to me!


	2. The Sorting

Chapter Two

A-woo-hoo! Chapter Two! Now, if you can think of a better German last name than 'Kohl' (cause I really want to change that… it's just a fill-in name), please review and tell me so! Whoever comes up with the best German name will get to dictate who I should write my next fic about, so please review for a chance to "Control-the-Author" - Big Brother all the way!! (nevermind me, I'm an Orwell freak!)

Okay… disclaimer time:

Disclaimer: Everything in this chapter, except for Alex, the Sorting Hat Song (that was cut so short - I'm sorry, I had little-to-no inspiration!), and the crazy, screaming Ravenclaw girls (hee… artistic license?) belong to JK Rowling. The little song at the beginning is called "Glorious", by Andreas Johnson, and it's a damn good song! As well, the whole "coffee with two sugars" belongs to the incredibly annoying Addison… who made me credit him that, although it was, in a reality, a joint-effort. Enjoy the chapter!!

****

Chapter Two

"The Sorting"

She's bringing me in,

Turning me on,

Making me glorious.

The entire school was sitting down to dinner one night in late October when a loud crashing was heard from outside the double doors. All eyes fixed on the doorway as Professor McGonagall rushed over and began to speak with someone on the other side. After a moment, she turned and addressed the hall, her face flushed and her voice flustered.

"We have a new student," she announced, and a tall, slim boy of seventeen sidled up next to the professor. "He has been abroad, so he was not able to join us at the beginning of the school year…" she trailed off as Hagrid, who had brought the boy up from Hogsmeade, whispered something into her ear. "…ah, yes. I would like to introduce you all to Alexander Kohl!" 

A smattering of applause came from the female body of the school – as well as the occasional wolf-whistle! – and Alex shook his head, a slight smile playing at his lips from the attention. Professor McGonagall waited until the girls had controlled themselves, her lips pursed disapprovingly, before continuing on. "Mr. Kohl has been to a number of schools during his scholastic career, although his birthplace was originally… Germany?" she questioned, and at Alex's nod, she sighed slightly. "We hope that Alexander will find Hogwarts to be a warm, welcoming new home for him, and a place in which he will feel more comfortable than he has felt at his previous schools."

"Or, rather, she hopes that I won't get expelled from this fine institution."

Professor McGonagall, as the rest of the Great Hall, was rather taken aback by Alex's comment, and she faltered for several moments before deciding to continue her speech. "And, now, of course," she prattled, "we shall decide the sorting of Alexander into the house which best suits him!"

She gestured emphatically to Professor Flitwick, who was waiting at the side of the hall, a small stool cradled under his arm, along with the unmistakable Sorting Hat. Alex watched with amusement as Flitwick nearly tripped over his own feet in his hurry, and wondered exactly what the point of a simple hat and stool were in making the decision of which house he would live in for the next year. Thus, he was incredibly surprised when a rip near the brim of the hat opened and began to sing:

"_Oh, yes I am a jolly hat!_

Although life can be quite a bore!

One day a year I have some fun –

This year, I've got one more!

So, sonny, step on up,

You've no need to be shy!

For I'll not bite if you put me on

Just go on, have a try!

If you—mmph!"

The entire hall laughed as Professor McGonagall clamped her hand over the mouth of the Sorting Hat. It struggled under her grip, and she gestured to Alex to hurry before she lost control. He rushed over to the stool and sat down quickly as Professor McGonagall pushed the hat down on top of his head.

Darkness was all around him, and Alex heard a little voice muttering somewhere within the black. "Who's there?" he asked, rather perturbed by the situation thus far.

"Oh, hello!" he heard the voice exclaim. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my boy! I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish my song for you, but I guess we're running a little short on time… which reminds me, we ought to decide which house you're going into, oughtn't we?"

"Oh, yes," Alex agreed. "Which house were you thinking of?"

"Hmm… well, you've got the brains, you've got the sly mind… but I don't feel as if Slytherin would be your cup of coffee with two sugars, if you get my meaning." Actually, Alex didn't, but he wasn't about to argue with a talking, singing hat that was currently perched atop his head and quite capable of suffocating him. "Ah… let us see. Well, I think I'm done – this one's been a hard choice, but I feel that you'd be best in RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw girls applauded as the hat was pulled off Alex's head and he went to take his place at the table. Immediately, several girls began asking him questions, but Alex's eyes were elsewhere.

He stared across the room, over to a table which was decorated in red and gold, and saw the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen before in his life. Her hair was brown and fluffy, waves of chestnut masses that he longed to run his fingers through. Her skin looked creamy as milk and even softer to touch – but, her eyes were everything. Alex often said that eyes were what made a person – everything else can be dyed or charmed or tamed… but nothing was more like looking into the soul of another person than looking deep into their eyes.

The cinnamon depths locked onto his own blue-grey pools and her cheeks flushed slightly at his attention. She smiled softly, and the other girl she had been talking to turned to follow her gaze.

Recognition passed between the two. "Ginny?" he murmured, and then he waved to her, causing every other girl in the room to look at Ginny as if she were a scourge on humanity. She smiled softly back, nothing but her eyes betraying the pain she felt at his recognition… and his brush-off.

For she knew, as she glanced over her shoulder, that he had not seen the torment in her eyes; that he had fallen in love with the one girl Ginny always had to vie for attention with – Hermione.

She felt her heart sink as Hermione inquired, "Gin! How did you meet _him?_" Her eyes were sparkling with curiosity, something which undoubtedly made her even more attractive to Alexander.

"Uh… on the train today," she muttered softly, her eyes downcast.

"Oh, of course!" Hermione flushed again and smiled over Ginny's shoulder, and she knew that Alex was staring again. She couldn't force herself to do anything but concentrate whole-heartedly on the food in front of her.

Harry, who had ignored Ginny's presence at the table up till now, turned to her and spoke covertly. "What's up with Hermione?" he questioned.

Ginny felt cornered. "Uh…" she stuttered, and several other eyes, including those of Ron and Neville, were now staring at her, awaiting her answer. She became quite interested in the myriad of lines tracing her palms – certainly more so than three years of Divination lessons had made her! Luckily enough, the gong that signalled the end of dinner was struck and the race for the house common room began before Ginny could reply. She watched as the rest of the school bustled through the double doors, then resumed staring at her hands, still sitting at the house table.

She wondered exactly how she had gotten here – what was happening to her? Until she'd gotten on that train today she'd been perfectly happy… well, at least she knew what she wanted from her life. She wanted to be Head Girl, and although she knew that was impossible, not being a Prefect or having done anything useful for the school… she had, as far as she could see, done more harm than good in the lives of those around her. "I just want to be noticed," she whispered softly, a small tear escaping from her lashes and trailing down her freckled cheek. _I used to want Head Girl, or Prefect – just some stupid title, but one that would help people notice me. I used to want Harry Potter to be more to me than just a friend… I mean, what's more prolific than being the girlfriend of the most famous boy in all England – maybe even in the world?_

She heard footsteps behind her, and she stood. "I was just going," she murmured softly, not wanting to get into trouble for not heading up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Too bad… I was going to stay and sit with you a while."

Startled, she turned her head quickly and saw Alex standing there, smirking slightly at her. She sat back down again heavily, and a nervous smile crossed her face. "Oh! Well, if you want to stay and talk, we can… but don't you want to get to your common room? Have all those girls fawn over you…?"

Alex laughed. "No, because all those girls are boring. I'd rather sit and talk with _you_ any day, Gin."

Ginny smiled at him – this time, a real smile… one full of hope, full of friendship… 

"Plus, I've simply _got_ to know who that girl was you were talking to during dinner… is she a friend of yours?"

Her smile faded slightly, but Ginny controlled herself. _No matter…_she thought. _Just as long as he doesn't fall for one of those idiot Ravenclaws!_ But nothing could dispel the feeling that had settled on her heart, the feeling that this meeting would destroy everything she had ever really believed in, and would change her forever. She wanted to jump up and race out of the room, never say another word to him again – ignore him in the halls. But something stopped her from doing this.

__

I've fallen in love… 

And, now, Virginia couldn't get up.

***

Did you like that? Hate it? Want to see more? R/R so I can improve or simply so my head can get so big that I can't leave my computer room so I can write more and more and more chapters!!! Please, please Review!


	3. Introductions

Chapter Three

Hi again! So, if you read, you just haven't been reviewing, please just drop me a line since I don't have **Support Services** so I can't tell if anyone is reading this or not - reviews are my only insight. Thanks to [**Perminator**][1], [**Nepenthe**][2] and eos for reviewing, and I hope you continue to read!

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all characters except for Alex(who still needs a new last name, I might add!), and all references to her magical world, other than"_Love is in the air… But is it in the stars? Horoscopes for the smitten…_", which belongs to me. Oscar Wilde owns "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the quote I have used from there - unless, since he died over seventy years ago that is now public domain? Either way, he wrote it, not me. Oh, and the illustrious _Michel and Simone_ belong to me, even if you never hear from them again.

Please, R/R, otherwise my head will explode from the strain! Plus, if I go too long without reviews I tend to get discouraged and not write much more… luckily for you all, I'm trying to put off an incredibly annoying "Studies of Religion" assessment task right now - so, enjoy the story!

***

****

Chapter Three

"Introductions"

I'm a high-school lover

and you're my favourite flavour.

love is all, all my soul

you're my playground love.

It was nearly eleven by the time Ginny got back to her common room, her conversation with Alex now nothing but a distant memory… she couldn't even remember what it was that they'd spoken of. _School? Hermione? Me? Him… no, not him. He kept himself as guarded as Azkaban… I wonder why?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a cough from near the fireplace, and Ginny jumped in surprise. "Who's there?" she asked, a lump rising in her throat as fear began to wrap itself around her heart. She rummaged through her robes, desperately searching for her wand… which was tucked away quite safely in her trunk, upstairs, in her dormitory. Her hands began to shake and she tried to control them as she heard a soft chuckle from the fireplace.

A shadowy figure appeared in the firelight, and spoke. "Gin, it's me." Ginny was not convinced, although a familiarity in the voice caused her to await his next words. "It's Harry. I've been waiting for you."

A delicious shudder coursed its way down her back as she thought of how those words could have charmed her so easily only yesterday… and, it reminded her of how fickle her feelings really were. _Am I being rash, throwing away the things I've clung to for an eternity all for someone who I know nothing about? …nothing except that he is the most intensely beautiful person I've ever seen close up._

Ginny smiled at Harry, almost suspiciously, which caused him to justify himself. "I mean, since you've been so sick, I thought that you shouldn't be wandering around so late… even Hermione's given up the studying for tonight, something which I didn't expect, especially since we've got two rolls of parchment due for Potions tomorrow…" He grinned at her mischievously. "Of course, that's not to say that _I'm_ planning on handing anything in myself – but this is Hermione!"

"Yes, that _is_ rather strange…" she trailed off, her eyes staring at the flames in the hearth… knowing that Harry was attempting to subtly interrogate her and not wanting to commit to anything right that moment. There was too much to think about as it was – Ginny didn't want to think about anything at all at this time of night.

Harry seemed to have detected Ginny's discomfort, and thankfully, he decided not to pursue the subject further. "Well, I guess I'd better get off to bed then, Gin – you should too." She smiled at his motherly afterthought, and a sudden thought crept over Harry's mind of how pretty her face seemed in the dim light of the common room. Surprised, he shook it from his mind and instantly berated himself for thinking such a thing.

Ginny walked past him and to the staircase leading to her dormitory, brushing his arm as she passed. He felt himself inhale sharply, and, scared of what he might do next, rushed to his own staircase.

"Good night, Harry," Ginny called to him as she departed, and he turned back to stare at her retreating form. He began to say something back to her, but a yawn halted his words. _Sleep,_ he thought, his mind whirring at the events which had just taken place. _Sleep is what I need right now._

But, before he went any further, he felt obliged to return Ginny's sentiment: "Good night, Ginny…" he murmured softly, before ascending the stairs and puzzling over the short, red-haired, freckle-faced, studious sister of his best friend… and how one moment could change his feelings so entirely.

***

The next morning was quieter than usual, probably due to the fact that Harry, Hermione and Ginny were absorbed in their thoughts… something which nearly drove Ron insane.

"Harry, do you know the date of the Hufflepuff/Slytherin Quidditch match?"

"Uh… no, Ron, I don't want any Cocoa Puffs. Eat all you want."

Ron stared at Harry in amazement, before tapping Ginny on the shoulder. "Gin, can you believe this? Harry's gone mad…"

But Ginny didn't believe anything, because she couldn't hear a word Ron was saying. She would often put a charm on herself that would cause nothing but music to flood through her head, and she sat in this trance-like state all through breakfast, darting an occasional glance toward the Ravenclaw table. Anything Ron said; or, really, anything _anybody_ said, she was oblivious to.

Ron began to get frustrated. _What in the world is going on? Am I the one who's going crazy?_ But he still had some hope. Hermione sat on his other side, her nose in a book as per usual – although she was most certainly choosing strange reading material these days… "_Love is in the air… but is it in the Stars? Horoscopes for the smitten…_" wasn't exactly a typical Hermione book. _Knowing her, she's probably read everything else in the pitiful school library…_

So, he turned to Hermione, jabbed her in the side, and, for good measure, said loudly: "Hermione?! Can you hear me? _HELLO?!_"

At this, Hermione jumped, startled, and glared at Ron. "What do _you_ want?" she growled.

Ron was stupefied. "What's going on here? Is this 'Pick-On-Ron' day or something? Oh, no… more likely its 'Let's-Make-Ron-Think-He's-Going-Insane'! Gosh, what's wrong with everyone today?!"

Hermione had listened to this spiel without speaking, her face slowly turning purple. Many other people in the hall had now begun to stare at the two curiously, wondering what Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were fighting about _now._

"Ron, get over yourself, okay? I'm sick of this!"

His eyes widened. "_You're_ sick of this? Sick of what? Bloody hell, Hermione! I'm trying to _tell_ you something, and—" She cut him off abruptly.

"Oh, so now you're angry with me! I don't understand you, Ron… you've barely spoken to me in days, and now you expect me to be your little confidant! Well, you can just go tell someone else about your stupid, insecure little worries and _leave me alone!_" With this, Hermione stormed out of the Great Hall, dragging her heavy book-bag along behind her. 

Ron threw his hands up into the air. "Great," he muttered underneath his breath, and then he sighed. This was certainly shaping up into a super day.

***

Alex stared down at the timetable in his hands, his eyes blurring slightly as he did so. He blinked, and pulled the timetable closer to his face, slowly bringing it into focus. _That's better,_ he thought, and he began to try to make sense of the symbols on the paper. _Hmm… Transfiguration, Arithmancy… _Just as he was figuring out his third period for the day, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heated discussion going on at the Gryffindor table. He glanced up quickly but his gaze was held by the sight of the beautiful girl from last night… _Hermione…_ arguing loudly with a tall, red-head who reminded him very much of Ginny. _Didn't she say she had some brothers?_ He questioned himself, kicking himself for not remembering. The night before seemed like a dream, simply traces of conversation that were slipping like sand through the fingers of his grasping memory.

His attention was soon brought back to the argument between the two Gryffindors when he heard the screech of wood on stone, and he watched Hermione bolt from the hall, her hair blowing unkempt behind her. He saw the boy sigh heavily before burying his face in his hands. _Perhaps this is a re-occurring event,_ Alex thought, and marvelled at the familiarity of the situation. _Just like Michel and Simone,_ he thought, reminded of two of his friends from a previous school. _Hopefully, like Michel and Simone, they are quick to forgive…_

He watched the rest of the school resume their breakfasts before standing and slipping out through the double-doors, searching for Hermione. He found her quickly, leaning up against a wall not far from the hall. She was sobbing into the cold, unforgiving stone, and although Alex knew that most likely he would frighten her and make her wonder why _he,_ who had never even spoken to her before, would be coming to comfort her. He just hoped this approach would work. Taking a deep breath, he stepped towards her.

"Are you okay?" he questioned softly, not loud enough for her to hear. _Courage, man!_ He stood up straight, and spoke again: "Are you alright?"

However, Hermione responded in a fashion he most certainly did not expect. "I heard you the first time," she muttered angrily between sobs, "and, no: I would have thought it were quite obvious that I was _not_ alright. People like me, who tend to have a rather good control over their emotions rarely tend to cry just because someone bumped them in the hall."

"I know," he murmured softly to her, "I've noticed that."

Hermione turned to face him, and a look of shock crossed her face. "You?" she exclaimed, and Alex nearly smiled at her reaction. "But – I mean, wh-why are you here?"

He grinned at her, before replying: "Ours is not to reason why – Ours is but to do or die!" Hermione giggled and Alex moved a little closer to her, and whispered: "Actually, I'm here because I don't like beautiful girls to be depressed… it puts rather a damper on the rest of us mere mortals."

She looked to ground before smiling softly. "Beautiful… I doubt that very much." Her eyes flickered upwards in a way that was so captivating it nearly made Alex gasp. "And, something else I doubt would be the description of 'mere mortal' for someone with a face quite a perfect as yours… Dorian Gray would be more appropriate, I believe."

"So, the lady has read Wilde… something I value very much in all my friends is their choice of literature." His face was so close to hers that they were barely breathing, and Hermione felt as if her heart might stop beating at any moment. He began to lean in even closer, and Hermione closed her eyes, longing for the touch of his lips on hers. "Oh, sweet lady… the world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold," his breath warmed her cheeks, and she felt herself blushing underneath his gaze. "The curves of your lips rewrite history…"

A loud, gonging noise broke the silence, and, the fluid rush of students through the double-doors most certainly ruined the moment. Hermione and Alex jumped away from each other and, as the students streamed past, they both found themselves carried along in the crowd. They soon lost each others faces in the midst of so many, and as Alex found himself outside his Transfiguration classroom, he was already longing for lunchtime… and for Hermione.

***

"I'd like you all to meet Alex. He's just come from Durmstrang, but apparently his parents didn't like the focus they had there on the Dark Arts." Hermione seemed quite happy about this, and she gripped Alex's arm tightly. "So, luckily for us, we get to spend our last year with the company of Alexander Kohl." She giggled at the prospect, and Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who returned the sentiment with a subtle gagging noise of his own.

Hermione looked at them both expectantly, and Harry decided to simply give in to the inevitable. "Hi, I'm Harry." Hermione nudged him with her free arm, and he grimaced slightly. "Harry Potter."

Alex's eyes widened. "Harry Potter? _The_ _Harry Potter?_"

Harry sighed. "Yep, that's the one."

Ron attempted to come to Harry's rescue. "And I'm Ron Weasley," he said, extending his hand. Alex ignored him completed as he stared at Harry in wonder. Ron withdrew his hand, muttering to himself, "stupid git," before retreating to a small chair in the dark recesses of the common room. "I thought only house members were allowed in the Gryffindor common room," he mumbled, annoyed mostly at himself for the feelings of jealousy that were once again welling up inside of him.

As he sat in the chair, he felt something hard and angular underneath him. Crookshanks let out a yowl as Ron hurriedly tried to stand, and then regain his balance as the cat darted into the arms of his mistress. Hermione glared at Ron from her place at Alex's side, and he plonked himself back in the chair before sighing loudly.

"And what's ruined _your_ day, Mr. Weasley?" 

Ron nearly jumped out of the chair again, startled, until he recognised the voice and the silhouette who was speaking to him from another chair nearby. "Oh, Gin, it's just you," Ron said, relieved. 

Ginny laughed somewhat bitterly at this statement. "Yeah, that's about right. It's just me… little old quiet, dull Ginny. After all, who'd want to be my friend when they've got Hermione… who's ten times smarter than I'll ever be, yet she still manages to avoid the term 'nerd'…"

Ron smiled at Ginny through the near-darkness. "I wouldn't worry, Gin… she deserves the title, since everyone knows that the only thing keeping her on _this_ side of the fence is the fact that she's friends with Harry and me." Ginny giggled from her chair, and Ron frowned. "Okay, maybe just because of Harry, then. But, like I said, I wouldn't worry… that Alex seems like a bit of a loser to me, anyway."

"Oh, I don't know if I'd say that," Ginny said defensively. Ron was surprised at her reaction. "I mean, when I spoke to him on the train yesterday, he seemed quite nice… someone who I could easily be friends with, I believe. But, I guess you can choose your friends, but they don't always choose you back."

Her brother reached out his arm to her in the darkness, and squeezed her hand tight. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, with the way Hermione's been acting, anyone who chooses to be friends with her over my sister, Gin… well, they need their heads read."

A weak smile crossed Ginny's face, until she heard the words echoing in her head. _…with the way Hermione's been acting… obviously, Ron thinks she's a better friend than I could be normally, but because he's angry with her right now for some stupid reason he's deciding to take my side… oh, why on earth do I have to have so many brothers?! All I ever asked for was one sister, just one. I never needed anything more. Boys never understand anything._

But, of course, she never told Ron this… she simply stood and said: "Thanks, Ron. I think I'm going to head off to bed… G'Night." 

As she walked to the staircase, Harry stepped in front of her. "Oh, sorry," she mumbled, and then she tried to dodge Harry but he seemed to anticipate her every move. "I just need to get through so I can get to bed, Harry…" her head was beginning to feel very heavy, the strains of the day starting to weigh down on her.

"Just a second, Ginny. I need to talk to you." He seemed very nervous, his eyes were darting about, and he kept wetting his lips every few seconds – something, that through her watchfulness of the past four years, she had been able to categorise as typical 'Harry Anxiety' – and, for some reason she was frightened of the way in which she was causing this in him. _What am I thinking? This probably has nothing to do with me, more likely it'll be about Hermione… everything seems to be about her these days!_

"Harry!" Ginny heard a familiar voice cry out to him, and Harry turned his head to see who was calling him, taking his eyes away from Ginny for a moment. Taking this opportunity, she snuck away, up the staircase, and into her warm, snug bed… away from all the laughter, all the questions, and from everything that reminded her of all the pain which was deep inside of her.

But, when she closed her eyes, she could see nothing but green underneath them.

It took Virginia a long time to get to sleep that night.

***

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	4. Of Snowballs and Quidditch

Chapter Four

Yay! Another chapter - you won't believe how long this one took to finish! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far (all three of you! The fewer you are, I love you all the more for giving me the courtesy!), and I hope that, after this incredibly long chapter, there might be a couple more to add to the list.

Disclaimer: Hmm… Obviously, the entire world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling (lucky her!). She owns all the characters save Alex(who has a stupid last name and needs a new one, thankyou very much!) and Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg. I own _Baby Billywig_ (*shudders*), Rydenfeld School of Rhetoric Reasoning, , "Marleena Tyrsorg, Elena Tyrsorg, Navon Tyrsorg…", the Dutch Quidditch team, and Samantha Martinez. And that's about it. The little song at the beginning of the chapter is "Colourblind" by Counting Crows, and is most commonly found on the Cruel Intentions Soundtrack. Meant to correspond with the chapter, of course.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this next chapter of all that is depressing, soul-searching, and sometimes plain annoying - "Playground Love"!

***

****

Chapter Four

"Of Snowballs and Quidditch"

I am colour blind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside

I am…

"Ginny!"

Her soft brown eyes flickered open as the noise around her permeated her dreamless sleep. A bright dot flashed in front of her eyes, and she squinted past it, trying to take in the chaos swirling throughout the room. She focussed past the bright light and saw the face of Carlina, a girl with whom Ginny had never really had much to do with in her time at Hogwarts. Carlina was the type of girl who flirted with boys constantly, looked gorgeous the moment she woke up and always seemed to keep her grades above the 80s. 

"Ginny! Quick, get up NOW!" Carlina lowered her wand, and the light disappeared from Ginny's eyes. 

She stared at the girl questioningly, before retorting: "Well, maybe if you weren't sprawled over my bed it might be a little bit easier to accomplish." 

Carlina rolled her eyes. "Gin, don't be such a loser. Look out the window!" The girl pointed towards the sole window of the dormitory, a large, floor-to-ceiling affair that was usually covered with thick, velvety curtains at this time of year. Today, this was not the case.

As she turned her head to the window, her mouth slowly dropped and she gaped at the spectacle outside. "Snow," Ginny breathed, and she felt cool air enter her lungs – cooler than it had been for a long time. Ignoring Carlina's smile, she walked, transfixed, towards the window, and, feeling slightly dizzy at the prospect, she held onto one of the red velvet curtains for balance.

The scene which lay below her was more perfect than any she'd ever seen before. Everything was covered in a blanket of white, and for as far as the eye could see. "There are no mountains, no valleys, no sky… just white." She smiled at the thought. _Nothing but white… all clean, good, perfect._

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and Ginny turned away reluctantly from the beauty she had just witnessed. Carlina looked at her expectantly, and Ginny wondered what was up. _Do I have something on my face? Or maybe my hair has decided to strike on me for today and I look like a bad imitation of Woozafurt the Ugly. _

"So, are you coming down with me?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "W-with you? What do you mean?"

Carlina raised her eyebrows. "Down to breakfast, silly! And then we'll head out into the snow and beat the pants off of the guys in a snowball fight!"

Suspicion lurked in Ginny's mind. "Did I miss something? Or is today the British 'Redeem-a-loser' Day?"

The other girl laughed, and her light-blue eyes sparkled. "No, silly! I'm just trying to be friendly!" She looked around herself quickly, and then whispered, her tone serious. "Yesterday I realised that, out of every girl in this room, you're probably the only one I've spoken less than ten words to in the whole time I've been here." She lowered her eyes shyly. "Plus, I remembered how every time it snows, you're always the one who doesn't scream and shout. You just stand at the window and smile. Which, in my opinion, is better than all the screaming and shouting in the world. I wish I could be less brash and annoying, and be more like you. I'm sure if I did more people would respect me."

Ginny coughed loudly. "_You?_ You're probably the person in this room who everyone adores; who everyone wants to be."

Carlina rolled her eyes. "Maybe. But, the way I see it… that's not a good thing to base a friendship on. You can't like people just because you're envious of them. That's why I'd rather be like you, Ginny… I'm sure that _your_ friends don't simply want to discuss how gorgeous every other guy is, or how the latest _Baby Billywig_ song is the best they've ever heard."

Her face turning nearly as red as her hair, Ginny looked at the ground. "Well… I don't know anyone who is a _Baby Billywig_ fan, but I can assure you that I'm not exactly at scintillating conversationalist. In fact—"

Before she could finish, Carlina had grabbed her arm. "If we're not quick, Gin, we won't get breakfast! Let's get going, okay?" Not giving Ginny much of an opportunity to argue, she pulled her over to her bed and pulled open her chest of drawers. "Hmm…" she sighed, looking at the selection of black, brown and a ratty old pair of light-blue dress robes. Before Ginny could change into anything, Carlina had dashed over to her own bed and was searching through her cumulous piles of robes.

She finally stood, triumphant. "I've got something," she grinned. 

As Ginny looked around the dormitory, she realised that Carlina and herself were the only people left. "You know, Carlina—"

"Carly, _please._ You have no idea how much I detest traditional names."

"Carly, then. I don't need to wear anything of yours… in fact, I'd rather not, since I'm a pretty messy eater and I'll probably destroy it and—" The words faded on her lips as she saw the robes that had been placed before her.

They were silvery-grey, and appeared to shimmer in the glare which streamed in through the window. Ginny stared at them, transfixed, hardly believing her eyes. She reached out and rubbed the material between her fingers, noting that it felt silky smooth yet thick enough to keep out the cold. "Carlina… I can't…"

"Put it on, before I hit you, _Virginia,_" she said, and winked at her as she closed the curtains around her bed, allowing her to change in private. It was only then that Ginny realised that she was still fingering the material, and she dropped it quickly, letting it flutter down into folds on her bed. She meticulously smoothed the wrinkles she had created before staring back down at the robes.

__

Alright, she thought, _today is simply going to have to go downhill from here. If it got any higher, I think I'd suffocate. I'm going to wear these gorgeous robes, and I am going to look beautiful in them, and then I'm going to eat my breakfast. After eating, Carlina and myself will go and have a snowball fight outside and then, I'll finally have a friend that I made of my own accord. And my life will be next to perfect._

A nagging voice spoke up in the back of her mind. _Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg the best friend of Ginny Weasley? I doubt it very much._ But Ginny pushed this voice away with a quick, simple answer. _No, Virginia Anne Weasley the best friend of Carlina Adelina Gabriella Tyrsorg. I doubt your opinion very much._

Slipping the beautiful robes over her head, Ginny smiled to herself. _And, now… everything will be perfect. No Harry, no Alex… just a brand-new friend._

***

It was colder outside than he had anticipated. As he pulled his woolen gloves over his pale, quickly-turning-blue hands, Alex spotted a figure in the corner of his eye. At first he paid the figure no notice, until he saw the flaming red hair exploding in all directions. A grin spread across his face, and he began to call out to the girl. "Oh, _Vir-GIN-iA!_"

She looked up at him, and her smile appeared to falter somewhat. Alex narrowed his eyes as he saw the girl walking alongside her. "Oh, wonderful. Of all people…"

Ginny and Carlina approached, the former reluctant, the latter tentative. "Hey, Alex," Ginny murmured, her face suddenly appearing tired and lifeless. _I wonder what's up with her,_ he thought, _maybe she isn't feeling too well._

"Gin, are you okay?"

She was clearly taken aback. She stuttered for a moment, attempting to regain her composure, before replying: "Y-yeah. Why do you ask?"

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? You don't look too good. Maybe you should go inside and get some rest."

Shaking her head, she glanced and Alex and then at Carlina. "Uh… have you guys been introduced?" 

"No, we haven't," Carlina spoke, and forced a smile at Alex. "Hi, I'm Carlina Tyrsorg… I've heard a lot about you… through friends, at Rydenfeld."

Noticing Ginny's questioning look, Alex smiled weakly. "Uh… Rydenfeld School of Rhetoric Reasoning." She still seemed confused, so he elaborated. "It's sort of like a dramatic school which teaches normal magical studies as well. I went there about two years ago." He looked at Carlina, and faked recognition. "Oh, of course!" he exclaimed, "Marleena Tyrsorg, Elena Tyrsorg, Navon Tyrsorg… I should have guessed earlier. I'm Alex Kohl…"

"…quite obviously, I already am aware of that." Carlina's tone was ice-cold. She stared pointedly at Ginny, who nodded. "We're going to go talk to some of the others now. See you around." Grabbing Ginny's arm, she pulled her away from Alex and across the snow-covered lawn to a group of sixth years who were preparing for what looked like a snowball siege. He watched Ginny, who glanced apologetically back at him occasionally, who seemed so different today. _She really didn't look well,_ he thought. _I should have insisted she go inside. Plus, hanging around with a Tyrsorg won't do much for her but boost her reputation slightly and lower her self-esteem. Not a good combination, especially since I know the sort of crowd people like Carlina hang around with._ He narrowed his eyes as he studied to boys the two girls were talking to – or, rather, Ginny was listening quietly while Carlina flirted obscenely.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of mitten-covered hands cover his eyes and a sweet, soft voice whisper in his ear. "Feel up for a snowball fight?" it asked.

Alex grabbed the hands and spun around, finding himself face to face with Hermione. She giggled as he stared at her, his face serious. "Always, my darling." He bent his head down to kiss her mittens, but she snatched her hands away and dashed into the snow, her pale blue cloak camouflaging her against the snow. Alex sighed as he stared after her, and he knelt in the snow, took and handful of icy snow and began to mould it into a ball. He looked around carelessly before walking towards the top of the hill and staring down on the lake, which had hardened into ice, and he smiled at the sight of people ice-skating, not particularly well, on the lake's surface. _Strange, to snow in November…_ he thought, _but, then, it's been a strange year so far, and I've only been here for a month._

A flash of brown caught his eye, and he saw Hermione several metres away, her brown hair poking out from under the ice-blue hood of her cloak. Pretending not to notice her, he casually dropped his snowball to the ground and looked around aimlessly, glancing up quickly to where Hermione stood, aiming her snowball directly at his head. _Perfect…_

His left hand hung at his side, poised and ready for action. Hermione leaned back and pitched the ball at him, and he jerked his arm up at the exact moment before it reached his head, then grinned at Hermione, who was gaping at him. Alex dropped the snowball to the ground, then shrugged at Hermione, who was striding over to him angrily. "Hey, you know what they say… beginner's luck and all…"

She ran at him and pushed him to the ground, and as the snow touched the back of his head he winced in pain. Hermione began to hit him, and his arms swung up, defending himself from her blows. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

Staring down at him, fury flashing in her cinnamon eyes, Hermione said: "Why did you tell me you were such a good catch! You should tryout for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team! They need a Seeker, since Cho left last year… why don't you go for it?"

Alex shook his head. "Why would they want someone who'll only be here for a year? They need someone who starts in about third year and—"

"Alex, they need to win. That's all." Suddenly, Hermione gasped. "Oh, Alex! Don't tell me you've never played before!" She grasped him around the waist and pulled him tight. "I'm sure we could get someone to coach you… maybe Harry, even though he plays for Gryffindor I'm sure I could ask him and he'd say yes. Otherwise, we can get someone else. Someone good."

Exasperated, Alex put his hand over Hermione's open mouth. "No, I've played. I just don't want to play again." At her curious look, he sighed. "Three years ago, I played Seeker on the Dutch team for the World Cup. It was horrible, all the pressure, and all the animosity. It was all about winning… there was nothing to do with friendship. We had each other, and nothing else. Every other team was the enemy. After playing those games, and seeing what happened when we lost, I got so angry that I didn't want to play anymore. So I haven't since."

Hermione looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't know." 

"I know. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

She shook her head. "No, it's not your fault. It's nothing to do with you. I'm just so damn single-minded! I always let my tongue run away with me, but I promise that I'll try not to do it again."

Alex smiled. "Herm, I think you'll find that I love all the things you do that annoy everyone else. They don't annoy me… sometimes."

She hit him again, on the chest. "And just when I was starting to feel sorry for you!" Then she smiled, and looked down at Alex. "It's just… sometimes you have to get back in the saddle… or back on the broom, whichever analogy you prefer."

"You're right," he nodded. "After all, I'm sure school Quidditch can't be any worse than Pro-Quidditch at a World Class level!"

***

A little under two weeks later, the morning dawned bright and clear. Snow still glistened on the treetops and the roof of Hogwarts, but the lawn was covered in a layer of frost, and this was hardly anything to keep the first Quidditch match of the year from going ahead as planned.

A crisp breeze swept through the stands as they quickly began to fill. The sun was nearly at the designated position in the sky, and as it crept closer to the time, only a few late eaters were absent from the excited crowds gathered in the bleachers. Ginny glanced around the pitch, and saw Alex standing there. He raised his hand in a wave, and Ginny was about to do the same before she realised that he was blowing a kiss to her – or, rather, to Hermione, who was seated on her left. She heard Hermione giggle softly beside her, and sighed heavily. _If I have to put up with this for the entire match, I think I'll gas myself._

Opportunely, Ron and Harry appeared at last, and began to fight their way through the crowd to the seats Ginny had reserved for them. Ron was speaking rather vehemently about something as he walked, but Ginny noticed as he glanced at Hermione his voice lowered. Harry sighted Ginny and grinned, which caused her to smile awkwardly and stare out at the Quidditch pitch once more. Ron plonked himself down next to his sister and looked past her to Hermione.

"And we thought Hermione would never go soft…" he whispered to himself, and Ginny glanced at her brother, and thought she caught a touch of pain in his brown eyes. Noticing her presence, Ron smiled at her and his eyes returned to normal. "Looking forward to the match, Gin?"

She nodded slowly. "It should be interesting enough, what with Alex playing and all. I heard from Samantha Martinez that he's quite good."

Ron's face hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. "Knowing those Ravenclaw girls, he probably only was accepted on the team because of his looks. They're all mad for him. I'd rather watch _Malfoy_ play than that primped git, Gin."

Hermione, hearing Ron's comment, turned and glared at him. "You'd be surprised, Ron… I'm sure you'll find he's a better Seeker than Malfoy or Ernie."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Hermione. The only activities I've seen him proficient in are flirting with half the female population."

Eyes glinting dangerously, Hermione stared at Ron. "You're unbelievable. Why do you have to be this way with every person I ever have feelings for?" Tears began to form and spill down Hermione's cheeks, and Ron looked uncomfortable. "I'm sick of this, Ron! Sometimes, I really hate you, you know that?"

"You've reminded me often enough, Hermione." Ron sighed, then mumbled, "not that it matters anymore."

Jumping to her feet, Hermione wiped the tears from her face and shook her head. "No, it doesn't. I'm going to sit with Parvati and Lavender. I don't need this from you at the moment, Ron… I don't need it ever, but especially not now." 

She walked away, her body shaking as she walked, and Ginny turned to Ron, eyes flaring. "What did you do that for, Ron? Why do you always have to push her?"

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "it doesn't matter anymore… there's no point lingering on it."

Ginny sighed, and was about to broach the subject again when the whistle blew for the beginning of the match. All fifteen brooms rose up into the air, but she kept her eyes fixed on the one who had risen the highest, clothed in bright blue robes atop his Firebolt3000 racing broom. He waved to the crowd and, judging from the giggles around her, Ginny wasn't the only one watching him.

"Oh! Immediately the Quaffle is taken by Emilia Abbott, of Hufflepuff, and she's really racing down the field towards the goalpost – and what's that?" The commentator paused and everyone's eyes focussed on the field, especially on Alex, who appeared to have lost control of his broom and was plummeting towards the ground. "Alexander Kohl, of Ravenclaw – " The commentator, as well as the rest of the school was speechless as they watched him fall to the ground, grasping his broom handle, one arm outstretched, supposedly to break his fall. _Oh, Merlin, let him be alright!_

Then, suddenly, he pulled out of the dive, his arm high above his head, a glimmer of gold clenched inside his hand! The entire school looked on in shock before the entire arena began to applaud. "And, it appears that, thirty-five seconds into the match, Alexander Kohl of Ravenclaw House has _caught the Golden Snitch!_" As the applause continued, the commentator sighed with relief and barely contained excitement. "No one's caught the snitch that fast at Hogwarts since… well, Harry Potter himself!"

Alex stared out at the crowd, a triumphant smile on his handsome face. Girls tittered at the sight of him, and they began to whisper amongst themselves. "_Isn't he just the most gorgeous…_", "_I heard that he played for the Dutch National Team, which is probably why they got so far in the last World Cup…_", "_Maybe it's time I took an interest in Quidditch tuition…_"

Ginny looked away, her eyes painfully filling with tears as she looked at the people surrounding her. How could she ever compete with the multitudes of people who whispered of him – they were beginning to adore him in a way that Ginny was guarding fiercely. _I'm the only one… who should have the pleasure. The pleasure of him. The love of him… I guess this just goes to show how totally I don't deserve anyone as incredibly perfect as him…_

As Alex flew around the pitch in a victory lap, Ginny wiped her eyes and looked up to see that even _Ron_ was applauding, his face shocked yet his eyes bright with the victory.

In fact, as she stared around, she noticed that the only person whose face was as blank as her own was Harry Potter's.

***

Ooh! Rivalry abounds! Please review using the little box down there, since otherwise I've got no idea who's reading my story! (plus, if you do, I'll probably go and review at least TWO of your own stories…. That's how obsessed I am with both Harry Potter and fanfiction!)


	5. First Kiss

Chapter Five

Yeah, I know it took a while but it's here now and it's all good. J Anyway… it's disclaimer time!! *drumroll*

Disclaimer: Since there's too many things to mention that _don't _belong to me, _everything _is © J.K. Rowling (lucky her!), and several things © Me. These include Alex Kohl, Carlina Tyrsorg(because, yes, she will be back… she will be back), Professor Sinistra's first name, Thomas Orenn and Tomas Pasege, Pansy's nose, Alex's "powers of persuasion"(which I doubt is a real, or legal spell - sort of like a lesser version of the Imperious Curse), the "_Engorgimulti!_" spell(although parts of it are J.K.'s), and the existence of Jarvey's in the Forbidden Forest. Oh, and the little song at the beginning belongs (I think) to Sonique.

Just a little warning - PG-13 for coarse language in this chapter. If you can't handle, or aren't allowed to handle references to homosexuality, female dogs or the W word, I've warned you all the same. Please don't sue me, either way - they're not that bad, really.

I hope you enjoy your trip into my warped reality that is the fifth installment of twenty-five (sheesh! We're 1/5 there already?) - the wonderful, the shortly-written…. "**Playground Love**".

---

****

Chapter Five

"First Kiss"

it's not the way you walk

it ain't the way you talk

it ain't the job you got

that keeps me satisfied.

Since the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, the school had been acting strangely towards Alex. One part (namely the Ravenclaw's and several of the Gryffindor's) had congratulated him on every possible occasion. Others, such as Hufflepuff, their pride bruised, and the rest of the Gryffindor's, who had not been faced with such a formidable enemy in Quidditch since the arrival of Harry Potter, were rather shaken and somewhat anxious about the outcome of the February match between the two houses. However, it was the Slytherin's, in their sly, sneaky sense of house pride who had begun to despise Alexander Kohl, and those surrounding him, all the more. A vicious rivalry sprung up between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, who had previously been the closest to the hated house.

It was an icy day in December when, in the even colder depths of the dungeons, Alexander Kohl received his first detention at Hogwarts. 

***

It all began with an innocent glance across the dungeons. Alex had been passing Snape's classroom during his second period on that crisp December morning, when, noticing that the class being held within was none other than the same class in which Hermione was enrolled, his interest had been decidedly piqued. 

Grinning, Alex peered inside the classroom through the glass pane in the door, dragging his gaze from one side of the room to the other, searching for the tell-tale mop of wavy brown hair bent over a textbook. Finally, in the middle row, to the left of the room he found her. This time, however, she was half-listening to a vehement Ron Weasley who appeared to be complaining about something again. Alex narrowed his eyes at the redhead. _Honestly, he's got to get over himself, _he thought, _I mean, it's quite obvious that Hermione simply isn't interested, yet he keeps putting her through all his emotional blackmail. It isn't fair on her… maybe I should ask Ginny about speaking to her brother about his behaviour._

He kept staring at Hermione for another minute before detaching himself from the window, and continuing to trudge down the hallway to Professor Sinistra's office, where he was expected for a catch-up lesson in Astronomy, which had not been taught at Durmstrang. When he arrived, an agitated Selana Sinistra pressed a note into his hand, a letter request addressed to Professor Severus Snape, and told him to deliver the message to the Potions Master immediately. Alex, an idea already forming in his mind, agreed and began the trek back up the passage towards the Potions classroom.

***

Everything after this happened at an alarming rate. All who witnessed it later confessed that even _they_ had not been able to recall every single event which occurred in the brief ten minutes before the end of class. Firstly, Alex Kohl, the famous Ravenclaw Seeker, had entered the room with a note for Professor Snape. The Professor had taken the note with slight sneer on his face at the sight of the now loathed member of Ravenclaw House, and had read the note slowly, allowing his fellow Slytherin's to also make the connection. Several of them began to whisper amongst themselves, and Draco Malfoy rumouredly mouthed the word 'Fag' to him from his seat at the back of the classroom. 

Alex smiled indulgently around the room as Snape seated himself at his desk and composed a reply. He grinned at Hermione, and for this received a fierce scowl from Ron, who was glaring at him, intense jealousy flooding through his veins. Alex, however, was oblivious and instead rested his eyes on a cluster of Slytherin girls seated near Draco Malfoy, one of whom was fluttering her eyelashes at him in an attempt to look becoming. Since she was cursed with having a face which closely resembled that of a bulldog, Alex simply raised his eyebrows to the girl, who took this for encouragement.

It was at this moment that Draco Malfoy realised exactly who Alex was looking at, a girl by the name of Pansy Parkinson, who was also a girl whom he had been invited by his parents to both associate with and, should she take his fancy, woo and wed; Alex fingered the wand inside his left pocket, pointing it in the direction he was facing, and began to murmur softly to himself a word which sounded similar to "_Engorgimulti!_"; and that Snape signed his name at the bottom of his note with a flourish.

Suddenly, a flash of blue smoke filled the room and several girls – plus Neville – squealed in fright. Others began to cough, and Snape jumped to his feet, peering through the smoke in an attempt to discover the cause of this disruption. As the smoke cleared, a gasp escaped the lips of every person in the classroom – that is, excluding Alex Kohl and Pansy Parkinson. The former smiled softly at the chaos unfolding around him, whereas the latter simply screamed in fear at the darkness which surrounded her, a sound that was muffled by the gigantic nose which now covered her entire face. Her friends backed away from her, and Malfoy stared at her in disgust before raising his eyes and locking onto the grey depths of the only possible culprit.

Professor Snape glared around the dungeon, his face full of deadly venom. "Well, well, well," he murmured insidiously, a sneer beginning to form on his face as he approached Alexander Kohl, who was still standing with the same satisfied smile crossing his lips. He stood as close to Alex as possible, then looked down on him, his sneer widening. "Well, well, well."

Alex suddenly grinned up at the Professor, before replying, "I'm sorry, Professor, but I thought that I had given Ms. Parkinson _four_ new holes in her now even larger nose, not three."

"Don't be smart with me, boy," the Professor hissed, his voice as smooth as a snake. "I'll make you wish you'd never been born. Don't you dare try to harm one of my students, Mr. Kohl – " at this he raised his voice so the entire classroom could hear, " – I'm sure that Dumbledore wouldn't appreciate your attempts to suffocate my wards."

Smirking, the boy replied: "But, sir – that is precisely what I was trying to prevent. I mean, you can't say that she wasn't able to _breathe_ underneath that hideous nose – any less than you can say that she can't breathe after my subtle alterations." Anticipating the Professor's next move, Alex reached a hand back into his wand pocket, and began to concentrate his thoughts on the power of persuasion.

Snape was alarmed by his response, and his face began to bubble with uncontrollable fury. "For that, Mr. Kohl, I'll deduct fifty points from…" the entire room looked on, mouths gaping as Snape stuttered over the words. Alex smirked at the Professor as he rubbed the wand concealed inside his left pocket. "…R-Ra-Sa-Slytherin!"

The entire room launched into a cacophony of smothered laughs, excited whispers and shocked gasps – all from the Slytherin side of the dungeon – but the person whose face was the most changed was Snape's. He looked confused, but it was obvious his bewilderment was quickly turning to blind rage. Alex spoke before the Potions Master could explode. 

"Hey, that's great, since I'm not in Slytherin." He grinned at Professor Snape. "Oh, no… you've just taken points away from yourself, only to discover that I'm not only wearing this—" he gestured towards the navy hat atop his head "—because I've been told that I look positively ravishing in blue." He grinned at Hermione, who blushed. "Speaking of being ravaged…"

"That's quite enough, Mr. Kohl!" Snape's pale features were now more resemblant to a darkening shade of blue. "_Please,_" he stressed the word, an edge of fear to his voice, for he had now realised exactly why this boy had seemed so familiar to him since his arrival at Hogwarts, "for the love of Merlin, get out of my class before I put your name down for the next nighttime expedition into the Forbidden Forest!"

"Mother _did_ tell me that the woods were particularly beautiful at night… but, I guess you'd know better than I would, Professor?" His voice hinted at something that the others in the class could not understand, and Snape winced at his meaning. Luckily, however, for both parties, at that very moment the bell rang, signalling an end to class. Snape rushed from the room and into his private office, slamming the door behind him.

Pansy Parkinson wailed miserably from the back of the classroom. "B-but, Prof_essor, _my _head – _" she whined, and Alex compared her voice to the noise one makes scratching their fingernails down a blackboard. Due to the enormity of her new nose, and its abundance of nostrils, the sound was considerably more nasal than usual. 

In unison, the entire body of students turned and stared at Pansy in disdain. Even the Slytherin's rolled their eyes before exiting the classroom, the Gryffindor's closely behind them. Angered, Pansy sighed loudly and stormed from the room, heading in the direction of the hospital wing.

***

At lunch that day, Alex received word that he was to meet Professor Snape in the Great Hall at midnight on December 7th, which was three days hence. He laughed as he read the notice in his hand, and waved it around at those sitting nearby, yet the note shook slightly as he did so… _Forbidden Forest? Was he being serious?_ He thought, bewildered. As soon as the gong was rung signalling the end of lunchtime, he raced over and grabbed Hermione and shoved the note in front of her face. "Does anything on this seem _strange_ to you?" he questioned, his eyes serious.

Hermione laughed. "Is this for what happened in Potions? If so, I wouldn't worry – Most likely, you'll simply have to wash out a few beakers and…" The words died on her lips as she continued to read. "Oh, I see." She sighed and smiled weakly at Alex. "Well, it shouldn't be too bad. The Forbidden Forest probably isn't like it was when I last visited."

Alex raised his eyebrows at Hermione. "When you last visited? What are you talking about?"

"In first year, Harry, Neville… Draco," she visibly shuddered, "and I had a detention there. Of course, that was when all of the strange things were going on with Professor Quirrell, so that was different." Noticing Alex's confused expression, Hermione shook her head. "It's a long story, so I wouldn't worry about it now. I'm sure it'll be just like any old detention… dull." She glanced down at her watch and gasped. "Oh, I've got Charms now! I'll talk to you more later, Alex!" Hermione raced down the hallway, and Alex watched her until she disappeared from sight. 

Sighing, he turned and headed towards the dungeons for the second time that day. _Oh, Snape'll have a field day with this… another thing to insult me with for two periods. I can't wait._

***

The detention loomed ever closer. When Alex attended his Potions lessons – something which was a rather rare occurrence under usual circumstances – Snape treated him as if he was of no consequence, and did not exist. While Alex enjoyed not being the butt of Snape's vicious remarks, since he had heard all that Hermione had to say on the subject of his trip into the Forbidden Forest, a small ounce of fear had crept into his heart. He was, however, lucky enough not to notice the venomous looks Snape sent his way – looks which were also filled with something that was undeniably similar to longing.

December 7th dawned a bright, happy day, and passed by as quickly as time often does when you are anticipating something horrible. Alex studied with Hermione in the library until eleven, when she had the race to prepare for an Astronomy quiz that night and Mrs. Pince ushered them both out of the library. Instead of returning to his common room, Alex decided to wait in the Great Hall for Snape. "Just hope the wanker is as punctual as usual," he muttered to himself. _I just want to get this stupid detention over and done with. _

In the ensuing forty minutes, Alex thought later that he must have stared at the clock on the wall above the double doors for at least half of the time. The other half was spent worrying about Hermione. She had become different in the past week to the girl he had met and fallen for… was it only over a month ago? Alex sighed. _I think it definitely has something to do with Ron,_ he thought, _I keep forgetting to have that talk with Ginny… if only that dratted Carlina would leave her alone for a moment!_ He knew that Carlina disliked him, probably even hated him. _And I understand why, but she's got to understand that I'm a different person now – I've changed from the silly fourteen year old at Rydenfeld. I think that I've… matured. I take responsibility for my actions, past and present, just not… that one._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the corridor. Both hoping for and dreading the appearance of Snape, Alex glanced up and instead saw two twelve year old boys who he recognised as being from Hufflepuff House peeking in the doorway. _What the hell are they doing here? _Alex wondered. They stared at him warily, remembering him as the boy who had defeated their house in the record-breaking time at the Quidditch match the previous week. Alex smiled at them in an attempt to be friendly, and they approached him slowly.

"Hello," Alex greeted them. "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be in your dorms right now?"

They glanced at each other, as if carrying on silent communication, deciding whether or not they would answer Alex's questions. One of them snorted and crossed his arms, the other rolled his eyes and shrugged. The latter began to speak, his voice changing pitch slightly as he spoke. "Well… we're here for the detention, actually." He lowered his voice and started to whisper. "H-have _you_ ever been into the Forbidden Forest before, because me and my friend are rather… well, _frightened_ at the prospect." 

His friend snorted again before speaking in a deep, sonorous voice. "Nevermind my friend Thomas. He oversensitises things."

"You mean, overexaggerates, don't you?"

The boy waved his hands. "Whatever. Either way, we're here for the detention."

"Yes, and I'm Thomas – "

"Orenn."

"And he is Tomas – "

"Pasege."

Alex smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Thomas and Tomas. I'm Alex Kohl – "

"Oh, we know who _you_ are!" Thomas exclaimed. "In fact, for the very reason that we know who you are we Aren't even supposed to be talking to you…" he trailed off as he realised what he had just said.

Tomas grimaced. "Which is exactly why we won't be speaking to you much again, Alex." They both retreated into the furthermost corner, where they sank to the floor and began to whisper amongst themselves, and Alex occasionally heard the booming of Tomas' voice float across the room towards him.

The clock on the wall began to chime twelve, and punctual as usual, as the twelfth chime faded, the sound of sharp, deliberate footsteps could be heard clicking towards the Great Hall. Alex gave a sigh of relief and of lethargy, and stood to stretch his legs as Severus Snape entered the Hall. His hair was slick with grease, swept back from his forehead and he beckoned all three prisoners to him with one long, pale finger. Thomas, Tomas and Alex all wandered over to the Professor, who sneered at the two young boys but avoided looking at Alex at all. 

"You all know why you are here. Unfortunately, your detention will not commence for another half hour, due to the fact that another student serving a detention has a test which must be completed tonight and also because Hagrid has some more pressing business to attend to. You may sit and wait until I return, but you may not leave this room. Understood?" Not waiting for an answer, Snape turned and walked from the Hall, and Alex returned to his seat.

The next thirty minutes crawled by only slightly faster than a snail race. By the time the clicking of Snape's shoes, and the soft pitter-patter of someone else's had permeated the silence of the hall, Alex was drowning in boredom. Perhaps this was what made the appearance of Ginny Weasley at Snape's side all the more surprising.

He didn't have a moment to ask her the story behind her detention, the cause of her tardiness, or, anything at all. Sooner than he knew it, Alex was standing on the end of a line formed by Ginny, Thomas, Tomas and Himself, listening to Hagrid's spiel about surviving the Forest.

"_Lumos._ Everybody light their wands, since it's not exactly goin' ter be bright in there. First o'all, yeh'll need to be careful. Two of yeh can come with me, the other two can take Fang and go on alone." He motioned towards Alex and Ginny. "Since yer the oldest here, Mr. Kohl, you an' Ginny can take Fang an' the Thomas twins 'ere – " Hagrid grinned at the smaller boys, who were rather alarmed by the giant of a man, " – can come with me. Righ'?"

Eager to ask Ginny about the cause of _her_ detention, and also feeling rather curious about the dark forest which lay before him and stretched on towards the horizon, Alex nodded. 

Hagrid continued. "Yeh see, fer my class I've been needin' ter catch some Jarveys – yeh know, the talkin' ones. Plus, Snape asked me ter take yeh all in since yeh've all been makin' trouble in his class or summat…" The half-giant grinned again. "Not tha' there's anythin' _wrong_ with that. So, Thomas', yeh'll be learnin' all abou' Jarvey's fer next year, and Mr. Kohl and Ginny ken learn all abou' the Forest." 

Hagrid beckoned them, and they descended into the Forest. He showed them a small trail into the wood, and they walked into the blackness together, and the four students crowded closer when the noises started coming from all directions, squeaks and sighs, cracks and creaks, hisses and howls… until, finally, they reached a crossroads. Hagrid turned back to them, and showed them to shoot blue sparks into the air should they find themselves a Jarvey hollow, and red sparks should they find themselves in trouble. After this, Alex was handed Fang, a rather fierce-looking boarhound, and he and Ginny started to walk down the left path into the Forest, noticing that Hagrid chose the right path, but ignored the path that continued straight entirely. 

They walked in silence for several minutes, Alex stealing glances at Ginny every now and again. _She looks worried,_ he thought, _but, strangely, she doesn't seem like she's frightened about the Forest at all._ Alex nudged her, and she looked up at him quickly before returning her eyes to the ground. He frowned slightly, then decided to leave her alone for now. Finally, they reached another fork in the road, and Ginny looked at Alex expectantly.

"Which way?" He asked her.

"I dunno."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "So make a decision."

"No, you."

"Why me? How about you take this one, I take the next one?"

"_No._"

They stood there for a moment before Alex spoke again. "Why not?"

"Because."

"Yeah… Because why?"

Angrily, Ginny lifted her head and stared at him, eyes blazing. "Look, it doesn't matter, so don't worry, okay?"

"But…"

"_OKAY?!_"

"Fine." Alex started down the left path, and Ginny followed him sullenly. Fang glanced up at Alex questioningly, and the boy shrugged. The boarhound snorted and continued to walk, and Alex felt a smile cross his face. His lips twitched as he tried to control it, but it was hopeless. He began to laugh uncontrollably, causing both Fang and Ginny to look at him strangely. When he saw the looks on their faces, just as he was quieting down, he started all over again. They stood there, waiting for him to control himself, and once his laughter had subsided, Ginny spoke:

"What was that all about?" Ginny looked at him, annoyance flickering in her brown eyes.

Alex smothered a grin. "Well, Gin… even the _dog_ knows you're being an idiot!"

Fang snorted again and Alex fought to control his giggles. Ginny, at the sound of Alex's laugh, began to giggle also and soon both of them had collapsed on the ground, convulsing with laughter. 

Finally, Ginny sobered herself up and managed to choke out a single sentence. "Alex, I'm sorry for before. It _hasn't_ been a good week at all, and since I'm fairly sure that I just failed my astronomy test, I wasn't in the greatest mood. Plus," she gestured to the surrounding trees and the cacophony of sounds emanating from the darkness, "being in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, searching for talking ferrets isn't exactly the greatest way to kill time." Ginny sighed. "I'll probably fall asleep in my pumpkin juice in the morning and get woken up by a Howler from Mum."

Alex smiled at her. "Don't worry about it – think of it this way. If this is the worst life can get, we're not doing too badly. Sure, we're stuck in the middle of a dark forest, the life-threatening creatures are closing in on us… but at least we've got magic to protect us." He sighed. "Some things in life are the same, magic or no magic. No matter what, you get hurt."

"I believe that. Definitely…" Ginny stared at him as if she was trying to decipher the workings of his mind. "Alex, are you a pureblood?"

He shook his head. "Definitely not. Another reason for the Slytherin's to hate me… I'm half-blood. My dad's a Muggle."

"I thought so."

Alex was puzzled. "Why did you think so?"

Shrugging, Ginny replied, "dunno. Just something… different about you. You remind me a lot of Harry, you know – there's something about you that just clicks. It's weird to think that you're not friends."

"Maybe it's true when they say that opposites attract…" Alex looked at the ground. "Even though I can't see the connection – other than the Quidditch part, of course."

Ginny smiled weakly. "Guess it's just one of those things… only someone on the outside notices it." _And, no, Alex – not just the Quidditch part. Also the part where the same girl, the same dull, plain, inconspicuous girl who is always around, yet never long enough for you to notice her. _

Alex didn't notice the long silence, or if he did, he never alluded to it. He leaned closer to her – closer than Ginny preferred – and whispered in her ear: "So, Virginia… what are you in for?"

She breathed deeply, trying to savour the moment, before replying, "why, Mr. Kohl – wouldn't you like to know?"

He smiled at her indulgently. "Come on, Gin – you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

Ginny laughed. "I believe the entire school is aware of the cause of _your _detention – unless, of course, the enlargement of Pansy Parkinson's nose from a near-respectable size to something closer to a beach ball was accidental."

"What can I say? Hmm… sugar-induced growth spurt?" He laughed at his own joke, and Ginny hid a grin. Alex raised his eyebrows at her. "What? What's wrong"

"It's just…" Ginny giggled again. "… well, Alex – you laugh like a pig would."

"You bitch!" Alex slapped her on the arm and Ginny stopped laughing… just long enough to hit him back, this time on his thigh. Soon they were both beating each other senseless in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, Fang the boarhound looking on, thinking them the worst students he'd been stuck with in all his years of service to Hagrid. They rolled around, squealing and laughing and groaning, until they came to rest up against a clump of trees. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other, and Ginny felt as strange feeling enter her stomach. His face was mere millimetres from her own, and she knew this was it. The moment which made the rest of her life worth living. _If I don't do this now, I'll never do it._

Alex, lying on top of her, was still catching his breath, not noticing the change in Ginny's face, the determination that set in her jaw, or the fact that she was moving ever closer to him, her cheek brushing his own, her arm curling up and snaking across his back, moments away from touching his neck…

And, in a moment, her lips were on his. His mind flooded with questions: _What? How? …Why?!_ He felt the passion behind her mouth, the passion that was obviously coming from deep within her soul. _Why is she giving this to me?_ He questioned, not really knowing the answer, only knowing that when these sensations stopped, when the kiss subsided, that nothing would ever be the same again.

Would his body ever stop tingling? Would he ever stop wondering how it had come to _this_ – kissing Ginny Weasley, his best friend at Hogwarts, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest? Would she accept that he was falling in love with Hermione…?

Alex felt her lips release, and he knew something had changed between them. _But I love Hermione! I'm sure of that…_

So why did this single kiss feel so good?

---

P.S. Just before you review asking me why both Hermione and Ginny had an astronomy test when they're in different years - and why the heck these kids never seem to do any work! - Ginny, in my universe, is incredibly smart with reference to the stars and thus does Advanced Astronomy - with the 7th years. Just another time to brush shoulders with Harry, I guess. Oh, and Alex doesn't. Obviously. J 


	6. Knives Out

Hi everyone! Yes, it's a new chapter!! YAY!!! - or not, if you aren't a fan and are here to flame me to oblivion. But, either way, all suggestions are welcome, and all comments are ADORED!! So review and I'll love you forever.

Disclaimer: _Everything _is © J.K. Rowling, except for a couple of things © Me. These include Alex Kohl, Carlina Tyrsorg(who isn't exactly my favourite person either as you'll find at the end of this chapter!!), Rydenfeld School of Rhetoric Reasoning, Tannenwurtz College and that's about it. If you find anything else, tell me in the review - I'm tired right now!! In this chapter there's some references to a famous movie (mainly in the "Clear as an azure sky…" part), so tell me the movie in your review and I'll mention you specifically in my next chapter!! The chapter title comes from a Radiohead Song, (duh! Called "Knives Out") and the little songy at the beginning belongs to Placebo. It's called "Flesh Mechanic". It's good.

This chapter is rated PG-13 for the use of the "A" and "B" words… which aren't anywhere NEAR as bad as the "C" word so, please, sue me not!!

I hope you all enjoy episode six of "Playground Love"…. 'Knives Out'!

***

****

Chapter Six

"Knives Out"

Blatant search for stoned affection

Fights the rust that breeds infection

Meet me at the intersection - 

Don't forget your fuel injection.

My head swam.

I kicked and dove deeper, hoping to get lost in all this perfection. I felt the water flood my ears and such sweet music sighed inside them. I was unaware of everything, even the movement of his lips on mine, caressing requiems of heated passions long denied. The cellos whispered through my mouth and I only hoped that he was as entranced as I.

He broke away violently, and my rapture dimmed. I opened my eyes and gazed into his, the blue depths now filled with torturous guilt. Attempting a smile, I knew exactly what he was about to say the moment before he said it. In fact, I had known exactly what he would say the moment before I had kissed him and begun this horrific chain-reaction of decadent affection. 

And I had done it anyway.

He smiled weakly back at me, then opened his mouth to speak. "Ginny… I…"

I held up my finger. "You don't have to say anything, Alex. I know."

Nodding silently, he sighed heavily and I rolled over, allowing him to stand. He walked to where Fang sat, staring at us questioningly. I felt like snarling at him, as the anger welled up inside of me. _Why does it have to be this way?!_ I asked myself, and the Alex of my mind. _Why did he kiss me back with such emotion that I thought my stomach would burst if only to reject me once more?_ The cellos were screaming now, and I held the sides of my head, trying to dull the pain they were causing deep inside my brain. I felt the world spin as my euphoria was replaced by dizziness, then fear. _What's happening to me? What's going on?!_

I gasped as I crumpled to the ground, and I saw Alex's shocked face above me as the world slowly faded away. "Gin! Gin, what's wrong?" I heard him question as red tinged with black replaced all the blue and white of his gorgeous face.

***

"Just exhaustion, I believe." Madam Pomfrey shook her head disapprovingly. "Children today choose their fun in strange ways - maybe it's because there's simply so many more things to choose from. Still, a few days in bed should set her right, so she'll be well rested for the holidays and able to go home and visit her family."

Professor McGonagall smiled down at Ginny's sleeping form. "You're right, Poppy - but sometimes I wonder exactly where all the energy goes. If it goes into something worthwhile or something less desirable." 

Voices were raised in the hallway outside the Hospital Wing, and Professor McGonagall looked up at Madam Pomfrey. "Probably her friends come to see how she is… should we let them in?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "She's resting, but anything'll be better than having to discourage _those_ four. I've had Mr. Kohl sitting outside the door all night waiting for me to let him in."

The professor raised her eyebrows. "Alexander Kohl? Is he a friend of Virginia Weasley's?"

Shrugging, the nurse walked over towards the door. "Not sure. He was the one who was with her in the Forest when it happened, and he brought her in with Hagrid." She smiled knowingly. "Seemed to give him quite a scare, I believe."

Professor McGonagall ignored the inferred meaning, and walked over to the door. "I'd best be leaving - Dumbledore wished me to visit him with news of Miss. Weasley's condition as soon as possible. She's quite a favourite of the headmaster, you know… ever since the shock we had in her second year."

"This girl… sometimes, I wonder if Harry Potter's luck doesn't rub off onto her." A laugh escaped her mouth. "Let's just hope the two of them never decide to settle down and start a family - I don't know if I could cope!"

She opened the door and allowed Professor McGonagall to exit before ushering in the four students who stood outside, wide awake and anxious to see if their friend was recovered or not. Alex was first to rush in, and he went straight to Ginny's side, his face full of relief at the sight of her peaceful sleep. Hermione and Ron followed, with Carlina in tow, and looked expectantly at Madam Pomfrey. Their scared looks were soon replaced by grateful words to the school nurse, who happily received them and modestly shushed them away.

"You can all stay for another ten minutes, but after that I'm afraid you'll have to go down and eat some breakfast. You can visit again this afternoon, if you like." With this, Madam Pomfrey left them alone.

As they sat around Ginny's bed, a sudden thought occurred to Hermione. "Why isn't Harry here?" Ron looked sheepishly at her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Ronald Weasley, why didn't you tell him?!"

Ron shrugged. "It was sort of in the heat of the moment. McGonagall came into the dorm and told me and I rushed off… to tell you and Carlina. Harry won't mind, plus I doubt Pomfrey would've let more than four of us in this tiny room anyway."

Hermione pursed her lips at Ron disapprovingly. "Well, you haven't really considered Harry's feelings on the situation, since I'm sure that he would have at least liked to have been _informed_ of Ginny's whereabouts - not to mention yours and mine!"

"Why?" Ron wrinkled his forehead in bewilderment. "I mean, he'll understand and I'm sure he'll just think we went down to breakfast early anyway!"

"Ron, how can you be such a twit?!" Hermione's brown eyes flashed with frustration. "You're his best friend, and you can't even tell how he feels about your own sister!" Alex raised his head at these words, his interest now piqued. This was turning into more than a typical quarrel between Hermione and Ron.

Ron let out a dangerously low laugh. "Hermione… if you're trying to tell me that Harry has overly - well, _friendly,_ feelings towards Ginny, I think you're barking up the wrong - "

Hermione groaned in exasperation. "Fine. Believe what you want to believe - but I've seen the way he looks at her. And it's not just 'this is my best friend's sister'. I see 'this is the girl I want to kiss for the rest of my life'. And there's a big difference between the two.

Ron's face was pink with anger, and Alex looked down again at the sleeping form of Ginny. A strange feeling crept into his stomach and latched onto him, tugging him from side to side. Green blood began to course through his calm, blue veins and he felt sick at the thought of Harry Potter kissing Ginny - the girl whose lips he had touched only hours earlier. He sat there, his body cold and limp, and he thought about how the situation had suddenly changed. Alex saw once more the sideways glances Ron would constantly shoot at Hermione, and felt no jealousy. He realised that he had never felt this before because, well, who in their right mind would _not_ prefer to kiss Alex Kohl than any other person on the planet? _My arrogance clouds my view, ever and always. _

In his mind's eye, he imagined the same glances shooting from Harry's deep green eyes, hitting the beautiful, gorgeous Ginny with her auburn hair and innocent face. He felt the little green monster tug his stomach once more, and green blood this time left him exhilarated and full of adrenaline. He was ready to jump up, run out of the room and challenge Harry Potter to a knight's duel for the hand of the Lady Virginia when he saw Hermione once more.

He heard her laugh, as if under water yet as for the first time. His heart warmed once again to her and he knew that he could not leave her just yet. She needed him to help her realise exactly what she wanted… and what was easily within her reach. She caught his eye and smiled, and he grinned back, with all the power of a thousand flames, and he knew that he melted her heart in a moment.

However, when he glanced suddenly at the person seated to her left - one just as beautiful as all the rest - his grin subsided and as he saw her cool hatred dull his fire he winced and looked away. Carlina Tyrsorg held his destruction in the palm of her outstretched hand…

He just hoped that no one would be fool enough to reach for it.

***

The Great Hall was crowded as Harry entered it that morning, and searched the room for his missing friends. Not seeing them, he wondered at their absence but shook off the feeling of slight fear that had begun to creep over his body. Harry walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down in his usual chair, grabbing a piece of toast as he did so, even though he simply placed it on the plate before him and stared at the double doors of the Hall, jumping every time the doors opened, hoping it would reveal his friends.

Eventually, they were the ones to come through the doorway, and as Ron spotted Harry watching them enter, he sighed. "And I thought he wouldn't notice," he muttered to himself as he pulled Hermione away from Alex and towards the Gryffindor table.

Harry smiled up at them expectantly, and Hermione, who was still whining about being separated from Alex by Ron went silent. She turned to Ron and raised her eyebrows. "Go."

Ron felt trapped. Harry's face now looked worried and he looked around the table, trying to find… "Ron, where's Ginny?"

"Uhh…" Ron stumbled over the words, "well, she's in the hospital wing. Me and Hermione were just there with her."

"Is… is she alright?"

Ron nodded nervously. "Yeah, she is… sorry I didn't let you know, but it was sort of a rush. I ran out into the common room and Hermione was still there studying and I completely forgot about everything except to get to Ginny." 

Harry looked relieved, but his eyes drifted over to the Ravenclaw table. Alex Kohl was staring at him, a small smile on his face. Harry looked up again at Ron and Hermione, confused. "Did you walk in here with Alex Kohl?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, he was up there with us."

Harry looked angry. "Oh, and I suppose he was just wandering along the hallway when you got the news about Ginny… waiting for you to tell him. I can't believe you told _him_ that something was up with Ginny and not _me!_"

"Harry, it wasn't like that. He was with her when it happened - he took her to the hospital wing with Hagrid."

Picking up the now-cold piece of toast from his plate, Harry stood and shook his head. "Whatever, Ron. I don't really care anymore. I'm going to see Ginny." He walked away from the Gryffindor table and over to the double doors, slamming them behind him so hard that the entire hall jumped.

Ron sat down at the table with his head in his hands. "What've I done? I really didn't think he'd care…"

"Well, Ron," Hermione began matter-of-factly, "I don't like to say this but…"

"I know, I know. You told me so. And I'm a stupid git. Anything else you'd like to insult me with today?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, actually, you said 'Me and Hermione' before instead of 'Hermione and I', so that was rather - "

Ron's look was fatal and Hermione went silent. "It wasn't open for discussion, Hermione. And I was being ratoric or whatever the heck that word is."

She sighed and sat down next to him. "Nevermind, Ron… Harry'll get over it. It's not as if this was a bad row or anything - just a little argument. You and I have fights like that all the time."

Ron felt a smile creep up over his face. "Well, you know how long it takes _you_ to recover from one of those… luckily, Harry isn't quite as touchy as you, Herm."

Hermione slapped him on the wrist. "One of these days, Ron… one of these days."

__

Yeah… one of these days you might realise something that's more obvious than all the mistakes I make. Either that or I'll just get over myself and kiss you. But he said none of this, and they sat there in silence until the bell rang for the first class, both mulling over their feelings inside their heads, and wondering exactly how long it would take for the other to understand just what those little fights meant.

***

"If it's not too much trouble, Alex, I'd like to have a quiet word."

Puzzled, Alex turned to face the speaker, whose green eyes were glinting angrily. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Harry? What's up?"

Harry grabbed Alex's arm and quickly dragged him into a nearby classroom. Surprised by the force in Harry's grip Alex yelped in pain when he saw the red fingermarks which appeared on his lower arm. "Hey, Harry, you don't have to get so rough!" Alex was alarmed by the fierce look on Harry's face. He nursed his arm as he asked apprehensively: "What's wrong with you anyway?"

A hoarse laugh escaped Harry's lips. "Ah… what's wrong with _me?_ Hmm… I'll have to ponder that one for a little while, Herr Kohl – wherever the heck it is you come from anyway. Or, let me guess, you're just one of those wanderers who never is able to stay in one place for very long… a person without a family, without a home, without roots." Alex looked up to see Harry's face emblazoned with fury before the boy continued on. "You stay just long enough to make your mark on everything around you; to irrevocably change other people's lives."

Alex smiled bitterly. "Oh, and I thought that was a good thing. It's not as if I gain anything from being expelled from every single school in the known universe."

"Oh, but you gain everything. Each little remark someone smiles about, each little person who respects you for all the wrong reasons makes the world a little more yours and a little less…"

"Yours?" He rolled his eyes. "You've seriously got something stuck so far up your arse its coming out of your mouth, Potter. I don't ask for people to like me, and I especially don't want people to respect me. That's why I do half the things I do… for me. And I'm not going to change that for anybody, especially not some moralistic _Prefect_ like you who's just all sore 'cause he didn't get Head Boy like everyone expected. You're Quidditch Captain, isn't that enough?"

Harry snarled. "As if you would know _anything_ about this school. How long've you been here for anyway? All of five minutes?" The two boys sat staring at each other angrily for a moment before Harry spoke again. "I don't want to get into this. There's a point to my bringing you in here – and it isn't in reference to any of your aforementioned crimes."

"What, couldn't dig up enough dirt to get me expelled yet? Well, I guess I'll hold my applause for your encore, eh Potter?"

"Just shut up and listen, alright?" He took a deep breath. "I don't know who you think you are, but I don't like people who go around and screw with other people's lives – especially when they're my friends."

"And exactly who are we talking about? If this has anything to do with me and Hermione…"

Harry grimaced. "As much as I disapprove of her personal choice in that matter, I'm afraid that's not what I'm talking about. Your relationship with Hermione is not being questioned – I'm more concerned about Ginny."

Alex's eyes widened. "Ginny? What about her?"

"You know, I hate it when people who are dumb like you pretend to act smart." He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. "I would have thought her infatuation was obvious enough, even for you."

Ignoring the insult, Alex narrowed his eyes. "I think you're barking up the wrong tree, Harry."

"Strange, Carlina didn't seem to think so."

The other boy paled. Harry smirked as he stumbled over the words. "Carl-Carlina? What w-would she know?"

"Quite a lot, if your exploits at Rydenfeld aren't pure fiction…" 

"Harry, I'll explain…"

"…which, she assured me, they were not."

Alex sighed. "What do you want from me?"

He paused, and scratched his neck in thought. "Hmm… how about you keep away from Ginny, not give her any _false hope_ – and I'll keep quiet about your past."

Angered, Alex jumped to his feet. "Are you trying to blackmail me? Because, if you are, then I'd at least like it to be for something I'm embarrassed of."

"What?" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, "and you're not embarrassed of having a relationship with a teacher at Tannenwürtz College?!"

Alex rushed to clamp a hand over his mouth. "How the hell did you ever find out about that?!"

"Easy." Harry grinned menacingly. "Carlina has many friends, Herr Kohl. In fact… she probably knows more about you than your own parents do."

"You know, you're probably right, Mr. Potter, since my father is dead and my mother is as close as you can possibly get whilst still being alive."

Harry bowed his head respectfully. "I'm sorry, Alex." He raised his head again and stared straight into Alex's storm-blue eyes. "But, really, I'm sure it's better off this way… so they don't have to see what a loser they have for an only son."

Alex bristled under Harry's gaze. "Say anything you like about me, but if you dare say one more word about my parents, I swear I'll kill you. I have my wand, and I'll Cruciatus you right into the next millenia."

He laughed condescendingly at Alex's anger. "Just what I always thought – there's a bit of a man struggling underneath all those big romantic words and ideas."

Alex looked at the ground. "All I ever remember hearing about you when I was younger was how you were saving our world and helping people. I wondered if I could ever be like you. And now all I'm wondering is if you even remember the exact point in your life when you became such a bastard."

Harry's laughter stopped. "Probably about the same time you became a murderer, Alex."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Harry. I'm tired of fighting with you. I just want to go to bed and sleep for a few weeks."

"Then tell me what I want to hear, Alex, and I'll let you go." Before Alex could agree, he continued on. "I know about you, Alex. You know _I_ know a great deal of things that could be decidedly… _detrimental_ to your future at Hogwarts. Am I making myself clear?"

Defeatedly, Alex nodded. "Yes, as clear as crystal. As clear as an azure sky of deepest summer."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about mocking me, Alex – just keep away from Ginny and make me happy. I don't want her running off after someone like _you_ – she has obligations to her brother, and to her family. Not to you."

Alex sighed. "Look, Harry, I don't know what you're talking about. Ginny is my friend, and Hermione is my girlfriend. And that's the way it's going to stay. You have nothing to worry about from my quarter."

Harry's anger subdued as he looked at the beaten man who stood before him. He turned to leave, but as he walked away he stopped and glanced back. Alex stared at him, eyes entreating. Harry smirked and kept walking until he reached the middle of the Great Hall, where he smiled to himself and muttered one lonely, victorious word:

"Good."

***

Please review this story because, if you don't, I might stop writing and then you'll find out NOTHING ELSE about Alex, or Ginny, or Harry's weird jealously, or if Hermione and Ron will EVER GET IT TOGETHER AND GET TOGETHER!!!!! and If Carlina is as big a bitch as I'm making her out to be. So review or…. Be bored less??


	7. Desire

New chapter new chapter!!!!! I wrote this one fast because I didn't really have all that much to say, PLUS I wanted to get to the Christmas sequences ASAP if only because that's where more interesting things happen. Not that interesting things didn't happen in this chapter just… not as many. And more in the emotional area of this story.

BIG DISCLAIMER: _Everything _is © J.K. Rowling, excluding the now-to-be mentioned things © Me. These include Alex Kohl, Eleana Weasley(who is quite obviously Charlies' wife - I'm sure that by this time they would at least be engaged!!), and Ginny's simply _SICKENING_ sense of humour. Heh. If you find anything else, tell me in the review, since I couldn't be bothered right now. The song at the beginning of the chapter is by Placebo, and it's called "My Sweet Prince". Fitting, nein?

Thanks again to all who have reviewed so far, but since none of you new guys have signed in (or don't have accounts here), I can't send people to go and read your stuff OR read it myself. Damn…. And I need something new to read too.

This chapter is rated R for the use of the "S" and "F" words… and for allusions to sex. But this isn't NC-17 or anything, so there is absolutely nothing graphic… really, there isn't. Just some making out, is all. (hee hee!)

Are you ready? It's time to descend into CHAPTER SEVEN of the strange, the downright crazy…

__

playground love.

***

****

Chapter Seven

"Desire"

Never thought you'd make me perspire

Never thought I'd do you the same

Never thought I'd fill with desire

Never thought I'd feel so ashamed.

Holidays were fast approaching. Ginny was only back at school for two days before it was all over again, and some part of her was both rejoicing and saddened by the prospect of more time away from school. _More time to deliberate, I guess… or to procrastinate. _Only that morning Ron had received word that the last resort for a Christmas at home were Fred and George, since their parents were travelling to Romania to visit Charlie and Eleana, and would not be returning home until mid-January. Ron had scoffed at the thought of Christmas with Fred and George - "Prob'ly just try and kill us with an exploding turkey or something, then expect me to clean it all up. Dumb gits." - and the decision to spend the holidays at Hogwarts had been made.

It was later that afternoon, while Ginny was sitting alone in the common room - everybody else was outside having snowball fights, something which, due to her stint in the hospital wing, Ginny was denied this Christmas - when Harry came and sat down right beside her.

"Hello."

Ginny was startled, if not a little uncomfortable by Harry's closeness. "Hi."

"Why aren't you outside with all the others?"

She rolled her eyes. "Doctor's orders." Ginny smiled softly at Harry in a way that made his palms sweat. "Besides, I could ask you the same question."

"What?" he asked, taken aback. She nodded towards the window. "Oh… yeah…" Harry pointed towards his right knee. "Practice. Pomfrey said I gotta stay off it for a few days."

Ginny pursed her lips. "Well, aren't we a delightful bunch of invalids?!"

Harry giggled nervously. "I guess so."

They sat there for a moment, both so incredibly conscious of the other that neither dared to move, even to breathe in the other's presence. Ginny felt Harry's thigh pressed up against her own, and in a strange twist of circumstance her stomach churned over to release a new, fresh batch of butterflies. She gasped inwardly at the many memories that flooded over her as the cobwebs faded and the cocoons crumbled to dust. _The Chamber of Secrets… the way he looked at me when he saw me with Neville at the Yule Ball… that stupid valentine… so many summers… all wrapped up in wisps of green and blue._

She glanced up quickly at Harry again and saw that he was staring off into the distance, his eyes still that same emerald green. _What a constant to have in the world, _Ginny thought, _Maybe this is the epiphany I've been waiting for. Maybe my future is all wrapped up in wisps of Harry Potter just like my past. _

Harry noticed Ginny staring up at him and turned just in time to see her look away. He saw that her cheeks had turned slightly pink and smothered a grin at the thought. Feeling as if someone had handed him a brand new burst of confidence, Harry broke the silence.

"So, Gin…"

"Yeah?" She nearly slapped herself for responding so quickly. She sounded so… weak, so needy. Ginny felt vulnerable and she wondered exactly what Harry was about to ask her.

"You staying for the holidays?"

What disappointment. Ginny nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Ron wasn't game enough to tempt Fred and George's offer of Christmas dinner."

Harry laughed loudly. "I don't blame him. I wouldn't trust them near anything flammable, edible or chemical. I mean, you'd either end up poisoned, with a gigantic body part…" 

"… Or turn into some sort of animal, preferably an embarrassing one."

"Exactly."

A thought occurred to Ginny and she began to giggle under her breath. Harry raised his eyebrows, perplexed, and she continued to laugh harder. After a little while, Harry asked:

"What?"

Ginny managed to subdue herself slightly. "Nothing… I'm just being disgusting."

Now Harry's interest was piqued. "So… go on?"

"Uh…" She giggled loudly once more before continuing. "Well, in Ron's case, maybe if he got himself a _bigger body part_ maybe he'd be able to hang on to Hermione."

It took Harry a moment to catch on, but once he recognised the double entendre he also started to laugh, against his better judgement. "You, Gin," he muttered between sniggers, "are a very naughty girl."

Ginny grinned flirtatiously. "And you, Mr. Potter, are an _angelic_ little boy whom I have decided is my corruption of choice for these Christmas holidays."

"Then, Miss. Weasley, it is imperative that you accompany me to the annual Yule Ball - if only so to debauch me further, and to do so publicly, nonetheless." 

Ginny was startled. She sat in shock for a moment, her mouth hanging open in a slightly perturbed fashion, before glancing at Harry in confusion. "You - Harry Potter - want _me_ - Ginny Weasley - to go with you to the Yule Ball?"

Harry nodded. "Of course. Why else did you think I was here?"

__

Oh, I don't know… maybe to enjoy the pleasure of my company. A sick feeling replaced the previous elation and the brightly-coloured stomach butterflies grew grey and listless.

Harry pressed Ginny further. "So, will you go with me?" His tone was light; yet there was a thinly veiled urgency beneath it. 

Ginny didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. Staring down at her second-hand robes, she spotted a loose strand and pulled it, unraveling a small amount of the material. Twirling the cotton around her index finger, she mulled over the question in her mind. _Should I go with him? Or should I wait for… no one? End up with Neville, same as every other year, hoping to lose him on the dance floor? Or should I take this chance - however innocent it might be - and try with Harry. Yes, I should. _But there was another nagging voice in the back of her mind, one which reminded her that while she still had feelings for Harry, most of them were simply shadows of her previous affection. That voice dared to ask: _What about Alex?_

She wrapped the cotton tighter around her fingers, not noticing her fingertips darken with red blood. Ginny clenched her hands in her frustration, causing herself to yelp in pain as the string cut into her fingers. Harry stared at her, eyes narrowed in concern, and a line of determination set in Ginny's mouth. _As far as Alex is concerned, I really don't care. _

With a small smile to herself, Ginny looked right into Harry's perfectly green eyes and said: "Yes, Harry. I'd love to."

***

"Do you really have to leave?" Alex was breathless as he and Hermione parted, his face flushed and her lips blood red. Hermione nodded wistfully, and Alex grasped her hands sharply. "Please, stay. I need you here."

She laughed. "Why, Alex? Is the prospect of being alone over the holidays too difficult to bear?"

Alex feigned offence. "Well, if that's the way you feel…" He released her from his grip and stood, striding over towards the doorway, just slow enough that he knew she would call out before he left the room, and just quickly enough to seem seriously insulted.

Hermione jumped to her feet and raced after him, pausing only to kiss him hurriedly on the lips. "You know I'm joking."

He sighed. "And you know that I'm not." Alex swept his hand to his forehead in mock horror. "Oh, my darling, being without you would be too, _too_ horrible to bear. I should never sleep at nights, or wake in the day. I would be like an eternal zombie, pining for your love…"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Alex's theatrics. "Oh, you're such a drama queen!"

Alex looked dismayed. "I resent that remark."

Raising her eyebrows, Hermione leaned forward and whispered in his ear: "And I don't care."

"Fine." Alex reached down and grabbed her around the waist. Hermione squealed as he lifted her up and put her down on the other side of him. "See you later."

Hermione groaned. "Come back, Alex. I don't understand why you're getting so upset."

He turned towards her, his eyes full of suppressed pain. "Why? Because I'm not going to see the woman that I love for two weeks. Is that good enough?"

Hermione said nothing for a moment, slightly taken aback by the statement. She finally opened her mouth and said: "The woman you… love?"

"Yes."

Explosions went off in Hermione's head but, to her surprise, many of them sounded like warning bells. _Don't… believe… someone… you don't even know. _Others reminded her of how unstable her life was becoming at the moment. _How can you deal with this right now? It's your seventh year, your most important one of all, and you're dallying around with some loser like this! N.E.W.T.S. are more important than this! Study is more important than this! _But the one that heralded its message like a foghorn over all the others hit her hardest of all. _At least he had the guts to tell you how he feels… unlike Ron. _

It was that last thought that changed Hermione's mind forever. Taking Alex's face in her hands, she pulled him towards her and kissed with an intensity that made his stomach drop to his knees. Her feet guided him as the passion behind her mouth increased, and soon Alex found himself on a hidden sofa, concealed in a shadowy corner of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione briefly separating their embrace as she lay back among the cushions, staring up at Alex, asking his permission without words. His blue eyes looked back at her severely, berating her in his mind while his body was encouraging her. Alex couldn't stop himself from lowering himself on top of her and kissing her softly on the lips, and slowly running his fingertips down her side, resting them at her thigh. Hermione breathed heavily as he did this, and Alex could feel her pulse quicken underneath the skin as he brushed his lips carefully over her smooth neck. He raised his other hand to brush a strand of fluffy brown hair away from her forehead, and Hermione sighed brokenly. He paused for a moment, and as he stared down at her, Alex knew that now was not the right time for this to happen.

Hermione's eyes flickered open and she saw Alex sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, staring at the portrait hole. She pushed herself up quickly, frightened that someone might have discovered them, but saw no one. The common room was empty. Crawling over to Alex, she placed her hand on his shoulder and he glanced at her momentarily before returning his gaze to the portrait hole. 

"What's wrong?" she entreated, her brown eyes full of concern.

"We can't do this." He continued to stare at the wall. "Not now. Not in the common room with someone about to walk in at any moment."

Hermione smiled wickedly. "Then let's go upstairs to the dormitory. Parvati and Lavender are out with Seamus, so we'll be all - "

"_No._" Alex's voice contained a kind of finality in it that shocked Hermione, and she slumped back into the sofa dejectedly.

"Why?"

He sighed. "Just because."

"That's not an answer."

Alex paused before responding. "I know. But that's all I can say right now."

A touch of anger sparked in Hermione's voice. "Really? From the man who is _supposed to be in love with me?!_"

His gaze flickered back to Hermione and he smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I hope you have a good holiday… and we'll talk more about this when you get back." With that, Alex stood and walked to the portrait hole, Hermione seated in disgust behind him. 

As the portrait swung open to let Alex through, Hermione jumped to her feet and yelled: "Fine! Don't tell me _anything,_ Alex! But don't expect me to wait around for you anymore! I'm sick of this shit… I'm sick of this relationship, and I'm especially sick of you and all your fucking secrets! _It's over,_ you hear me?!"

Alex shook his head in silence and stepped through the portrait hole without responding. The hole closed behind him, and Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes. _Bastard!_ She thought viciously, but her anger was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her chest. Sinking back into the sofa, she realised that it didn't matter what she did, or what she said, that these next two weeks were probably going to be the most painful of her entire life. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped into pieces… 

And he had kept every single one.

***

The train whistled loudly as Hermione dragged her trunk along the slushy ground, struggling with the weight of it. Harry appeared from behind her and grabbed the other handle, and she smiled thankfully up at him. He puffed loudly as he helped her lift it into the carriage and slide it inside, his cheeks pink from the exertion.

Harry shook his mittened finger at her mockingly. "I'm guessing you took the entire library home _these_ holidays, Hermione - if you don't get the highest test score ever achieved in the N.E.W.T.S. I think I'll have to make a complaint."

Hermione grinned widely. "You really think I've got a chance of doing that well?"

"Actually, I just don't want to put up with you whingeing about not getting 567% on the whole exam!" He laughed as Hermione moved to slap him but missed, sending herself careening halfway down the platform, crashing straight into Ron who groaned heavily.

"Don't _ever_ think of taking up ballet, Herm - I don't think the Hamlet's of the world would survive."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione replied: "Well, _I_ think they'd do just fine, since '_Hamlet_' is a _Shakespearean Play,_ not a ballet." Before Ron could retaliate she had danced over to Ginny, and the two of them had begun to tango up and down the station, startling many of the first years in the process.

Harry smothered a laugh as Ron looked on in amazement. "I think she got you there, Ronniekins." 

Ronniekins scowled. "Careful, _Potty_, or I just might have to smash your face in." As he saw Harry's expression change to one of annoyance, the train whistled once more and the conductor began to wave at people to board the train. Hermione and Ginny finished their tango with a tasteful dip and, receiving minimal applause, decided dancing was probably not their undiscovered talent. They rushed over to where Harry and Ron stood, and Hermione smiled at them.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys in two weeks." Hermione giggled. "Joking, guys! Joking!" She pulled Ginny into a hug, and the younger girl pressed a folded piece of paper into her hand as they separated. Hermione looked at her questioningly but Ginny ignored her glance, so she simply slid the letter into the pocket of her robes for the moment.

Turning to Harry and Ron, she smiled broadly and kissed Harry quickly on the cheek, something which Ron avoided, a suspicious red tinge creeping over his cheeks. Hermione climbed up into the carriage and reached down to move her trunk, which she realised now wouldn't budge. _Teach me to take so many books home, I guess. _She saw someone leap up into the carriage behind her, and she was about to scold them for being so inconsiderate - to a _Prefect,_ nonetheless! - when she saw that it was Ron. Without a word he pulled her trunk into the nearest compartment, and pushed it underneath the seat so that it wouldn't get in her way. 

Hermione stood at the end of the passage feeling rather useless, and she felt her face grow warmer as Ron approached. She closed her eyes, thinking of all the incredibly romantic things which could possibly occur right at that moment, but the only thing she felt on her face was a slight breeze as Ron swept past her and back to the entrance of the train. She opened her eyes again and saw him standing there, a bemused smile on his face. Hermione felt her blood boil slightly at the look he gave her, and she was about to open her mouth and say something about it when Ron spoke first. 

"Have a good Christmas." Ron leaned forward and kissed Hermione on the cheek, lingering long enough for her to allow a tingly feeling to creep its way up her back. "And I think you'd be great as Ophelia, or whatever," he added in a whisper. As Ron jumped down from the carriage and backed away, a shy grin on his freckled face, a little seed of doubt sprouted - and she wondered if she had been wrong about Ronald Weasley.

"I'll try," she mouthed, and a soft smile was exchanged between them. Hermione waved madly at the rest of her friends who returned the sentiment, Harry shouting something about not doing too much homework, Ginny smiling and pointing to the letter she had handed her earlier, and Ron simply standing there, staring after her in such a way that made her heart constrict.

The only thing that spoiled the moment was the absence of one - of Alex. Hermione had not been expecting him to come and say goodbye after their argument the day before, but some part of her - probably the romantic part - had been hoping for it. She sighed as she saw her friends become ants on a distant platform, and she returned to her compartment, her mind too tired to think anymore. She fell asleep almost immediately, knowing only that at the end of the line two weeks of sanity awaited her. 

***

"Is she gone?"

Ginny jumped at the voice, and Alex emerged from the shadows of late afternoon sunlight. "How - did you -?"

"Lavender let me in." He paused for a moment, then asked again: "Is she gone?"

She nodded. "The train left an hour ago."

Alex pursed his lips. "I heard the whistle, but I wasn't sure… I thought she might…"

Ginny shook her head. "No. She's on her way home now."

"Well, of course. I know that now." 

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Ginny broke the silence. "So, are you going to the Yule Ball?"

Alex's head jerked towards her suddenly. His gaze was electric and Ginny felt slightly uncomfortable, wishing she hadn't introduced the subject. "I dunno," he said simply. "Depends whether I find someone to go with or not."

Ginny looked away, out the window and into the blank whiteness of the snow. "Do you have any ideas…"

"Will you go with me, Gin?" Sensing her discomfort, Alex mistook it for repercussions of the night in the Forbidden Forest. "I mean, just as friends, of course… we'd have fun, Gin, wouldn't we?" 

He sounded flustered, if not a little embarrassed, and Ginny had no idea what to say. After a moment, she decided to be direct and simply respond: "I can't. I'm going with someone else."

Alex exhaled slowly. "Who?"

"I'm going with Harry."

He felt as if the world had suddenly spun out of control; as if left had become right and up became down. Alex felt perspiration form on his brow, and it seemed in this new, uncertain world as if his body would eventually melt into one giant pool in the middle of the dormitory. Harry's words came rushing back to him, in a giant jumble of letters, but his mind rearranged them into one coherent sentence: "_Keep away from Ginny, and make me happy._"

Alex felt nauseous, and he rushed quickly to the door, attempting to quell his urge to throw up. Ginny watched him, and asked worriedly if he was feeling alright. Shaking his head vehemently, he wrenched open the dormitory door and rushed through it, slamming it behind him so hard that the walls shook. He leant up against the wall nearby, breathing heavily, his mind a mess and his body ready to collapse. 

"Breathe," he murmured to himself, "just breathe."

He heard a noise from behind him and stumbled down the stairwell. He didn't stop running until he reached the outside of the castle and fell to the ground, gagging and coughing into the cold, clean snow. Alex rolled around in it, not wanting to live any more, only wanting to rid himself of the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that because he had agreed to Harry's terms - because he had valued his own happiness above his best friend's - she would be the one to suffer.

He hated himself because he now realised that he loved Ginny more than a reputation, more than his popularity… more than life itself.

***

Yeah, I know that was boring but it had to be written… and so must your review!! So please, let me know on a SCALE OF 1 : 100 exactly how boring this chapter was, and write a review too. You know you want too……………..


	8. Lavender

Yes, it's another chapter… bet you're all itching for it, aren't you? 

Disclaimer: The following things belong to _ME -_ Alex Kohl, Alina Roeder, the exceedingly blue Ravenclaw common room, Alex's strange romantic tendencies, and Sir Tiernan the friendly suit of armour. Everything else is © J.K. Rowling, excluding the song at the beginning, which is © Kate Bush. In case you couldn't guess, it's called "Wuthering Heights" - the name which belongs to Emily Bronte, who herself belongs to one of the finest literary families that ever existed.

Thankyou to all my reviewers, cause you all rock so much I can't describe it. Those who've left a 'forwarding address' of sorts include: amaia riddle and Writer Angel. Those who haven't include: SaturnVenus, aersrtdtyfyuguihio, Hecate, Wendy, Princess Hermione Sorcelleri, Kim, Lauren, ~*~lala~*~ , Rachel, Audrey and Pixie48449. 

This chapter is rated R for the use of the "F" and "B" words. And an allusion to homosexuality/bisexuality. Either way, if I don't put that disclaimer I'll get in trouble.

P.S. To amaia riddle, and her opinion of the Ginny/Virginia debate, I will put this forward: _Sure, there's a Fred and a Charlie but let's think it through this way… Bill = William; Charlie = Charles; Percy = Percival; Fred = Frederic; Ron = Ronald; Ginny = Virginia. And that's just my opinion - even people with old-fashioned names like Margaret are still called things like Meg and Peg. _

P.P.S. To Writer Angel, and Harry's apparent change in relation to fame: _I have no idea what you mean. If you are referring to Alex making the world "a little less Harry's", I simply meant he is changing people around Harry, like Ginny and Hermione, to do things they wouldn't normally do… Harry loves Hogwarts, and doesn't want Alex, with his different ideas and modern views on certain things to destroy his home. Wouldn't you like it to stay the same too? If this isn't the incident you are referring to, I am lost. If you wish to discuss this further, please e-mail me as I hope people don't misconstrue my meanings. _

P.P.P.S. _Why the heck does everyone hate Alex? I find this rather interesting, although I can understand where you're coming from since he is based on a real-life person who can be rather annoying at times. I'd like to hear more about your hatred for Alex, since that always makes my job a little easier in trying to make everyone a sympathetic character! So, include your opinion in your review if you wish to express it straight to the author!_

CHAPTER EIGHT… let's hope it scratches that itch well enough. Let us enter…

__

"Playground Love"

***

****

Chapter Eight

"Lavender"

How could you leave me

When I needed to possess you?

I hated you. I loved you, too.

Bad dreams in the night.

They told me I was going to lose the fight,

Leave behind my _Wuthering Heights_.

"What're you reading?"

It was a frosty winter morning and Ginny, fed up with the boisterous antics of the Gryffindor common room, had removed herself to the library. She noticed Madam Pince's narrowed gaze as Alex dropped himself into the chair beside her.

Ginny closed the book slightly and pointed to the cover. "_Wuthering Heights._"

Alex nodded knowingly, and she began to immerse herself in the story once more. After a few moments of peaceful reading, he interrupted again. "Isn't that the one where the guy's wife goes crazy and burns the house down?"

"No."

"Oh." Alex fiddled with the buttons on his robe and scratched his chin as they sat there in silence. He started to drum his fingers on the table to some indistinguishable beat, and Madam Pince, who had been discreet about her annoyance thus far, peered suspiciously over at Alex. 

"That's _Jane Eyre,_" Ginny replied, and Alex looked up at her, smiling slightly.

"That's right." He resumed his table-drumming. Ginny was beginning to find his small movements too distracting to continue reading so she replaced her bookmark and set the book down on the table. Knowing that he was in want of an explanation, and that he wouldn't leave until he got it, Ginny sighed and began to speak.

"This is the one where the star-crossed lovers marry other people to wreak revenge on each other and then when the girl, Cathy, dies, the guy, Heathcliff, destroys everyone else's lives as well."

Alex nodded in slight interest. "Depressing stuff."

"You might say that." She sat there, trying to decipher her own thoughts on the subject. "Or you might say that he was simply out of his mind with love."

"Or obsession." He grinned at her irritated glance. _Instant exasperation: contradict someone with a possible truth. _"Still, it's scary to think that someone can be driven that far."

Ginny smirked back at him, her annoyance replaced by flirtatious exhilaration. "Or romantic."

Alex struggled to smother a laugh. "Yeah." 

It wasn't long before they both burst into laughter, and shortly thereafter they were thrown out by Madam Pince, under the pretence of 'disturbing the peace', although they were the only ones sitting around the school library on that particular Saturday afternoon. 

They walked through the deserted halls, talking about nothing of importance and yet knowing that the stability of their entire friendship could be ruined by one wrong word, one wrong phrase, one wrong movement. And so their conversation, which may have seemed to outsiders as one befitting two people who were as comfortable with each other as they were when they were alone, was structured in their mind with such detail so that they would not make a mistake. _Don't talk about Hermione… don't talk about Harry… don't talk about the Forest… don't talk about Quidditch… don't talk about love… or happiness. Talk of nothing while still speaking._

But, most of all… don't ever talk about the past.

Soon they found themselves wandering the grounds, the snow crunching underneath their feet, their conversation full of gossip and carefully plotted witticisms.

"I heard about Seamus and Parvati; was Lavender much upset…?"

"… and so I said: 'No, I'm not interested in a tea leaf reading'…"

"Ha! You should've _seen_ the look on Snape's face! Pure brilliance!"

"… I remember when Ron did something like that, back when he was in third year…"

"Dumbledore's not a bad headmaster. I've had much worse, I can assure you…"

"I felt really sorry when it happened, _especially_ for Hermione, since we were just becoming good friends then."

And so the conversation continued on, until someone made a slip-up; until someone crossed the fragile barriers into the unknown abyss of painful memories, of a past full of hatred and regret. Ginny said the words, and forever regretted them afterwards. 

"What do you reckon Hermione's up to now?"

Ginny shrugged. "Dunno. Her parents are good, her house is great, her family seemed nice. She's probably having a normal Christmas."

Alex sighed. "I was thinking about owling her, letting her know I wanted to say goodbye. That I didn't want her to leave, really - I just didn't want her to regret anything, ever. I regret too much, and I wanted to spare her that."

Ginny played with her fingernails, scratching at a slight crack in one of them. She looked up at Alex and saw that his eyes were glazed over and shining with tears he didn't want to let go. She reached out for his hand and gripped it, squeezing it gently as they walked. "You want to do that for everyone - me, Hermione. You don't want anyone to suffer, ever. But people have to suffer, or they never learn anything… that's what you've got to understand, Alex. Pain is a natural part of living - of loving."

Alex smiled down at Ginny a little condescendingly. "But, Gin - if you'd seen the things I'd seen… you'd feel differently. You'd never, _ever_ want anyone to feel the way you'd felt so many times."

Shaking her head, Ginny felt anger rise in her veins but she subdued it and swallowed it down where it hung like a heavy weight in her stomach. "Alex, just because I haven't seen things like you doesn't mean I don't know pain. In fact, it's probably because I haven't seen as much that the smaller things affect me more."

Alex didn't respond, and Ginny let go of his hand. They walked to where a small wall stood nearby and sat down on it, Ginny waiting for Alex to speak more. After a little while, she decided to take the initiative and speak herself.

"Alex, I want to know more about you." He stared at her questioningly, and she held up a finger to stop him interjecting. "I know this is That-Which-Is-Never-Spoken-Of - the past is a forbidden topic with you. But I don't care anymore. Tell me everything and then we won't have any more secrets."

The tears slipped from where he was holding them, and they ran rivulets down his face, staining it with trails of scarlet. Alex shook his head slowly. "You'd never want to know me if I told you… everything is too much for now."

"Anything, then?" When he didn't look at her, Ginny sighed. "Please."

He raised his eyes to her face and leaned forward slowly, stopping a mere breath away from her face. Ginny stared back at him, her heart beating quickly, irregularly. As he opened his mouth to speak, an unmistakable odour washed through her senses. _Eucalyptus,_ she thought, her mind hazy and her body tingling with the scent. "You first," he exhaled, Ginny feeling her knees go weak and her arms tense with his words.

Although the burning question in the back of her mind - namely, _Me first?_ - nagged at her, Ginny ignored it and nodded instead. "Me." She racked her brain for something to tell Alex that wouldn't hurt him, and one that wouldn't lead to another question. Finally, it came to her:

"I've never had a boyfriend."

Alex was slightly taken aback by her honesty, yet also found himself not particularly surprised. _Anyone who kisses like that… the guy who dumped her would have to be a total and utter fool. _He didn't even think about his answer before he said:

"I have."

Ginny jumped. "You're joking."

Alex shook his head, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Nope."

Her eyes widened, and a wicked thought crossed her mind. "Guess it's a good thing I didn't say that I'm a virgin, or I might've heard something worse."

"Maybe." Grinning, he looked up at her, and winked conspiratorially. "This is just between us, right? I'm sure there's plenty of people who would love to use certain knowledge against me." _And one of them just happens to be your best friend._

Ginny nodded. "Of course. I'd never tell anyone something you wanted kept a secret." Her eyes were wide with an innocence that made Alex shiver from head to foot. _I remember that feeling… just barely, anyway. _Something stirred a spoon in his heart, disturbing the settled emotions just like cracking the skin that formed atop a bowl of soup. The lumps floated there, and Alex felt one of them float up and land in the back of his throat.

He suddenly turned and gripped her hands tightly, so hard that it made Ginny squeal softly. Alex didn't loosen his hold on her and he held her gaze with his storm-blue eyes. "Let me ask you a question, Gin - just one, and then we'll never talk of these things ever again."

Having no alternative, she nodded and Alex's mouth set in a line of determination. He took a deep breath and spoke once more:

"Gin, why are you going to the ball with Harry?"

Something inside her gasped, and a funny feeling bounced around her stomach. "Uhh…" she couldn't get the words out, couldn't tell him _why_ she had done it - she barely knew herself. Ginny simply had decided, within herself, to put Alex Kohl as far away from her as possible… something that was becoming harder as time passed. She felt near-hysteria as she turned these thoughts over in her mind, struggling to escape Alex's grip, his piercing stare, the hold he had over her entire being. 

"I told him yes because there was no one else." In her mind, the last words repeated over and over again, the ones she never spoke to him that day. _Who asked me; because there was no one else who asked me… no one I would have ever said yes to save him and - you. And he asked me first._

Alex's head ached. "Oh," he murmured as he released Ginny's hands, his own dropping listlessly to his side. Alex shivered and drew his cloak closer to his body, but nothing warmed the cool, leaden weight that had been placed inside his mind. _There was no one else… for you. I was simply a mistake, I suppose. _Fury flooded his veins like quicksilver and hardened, the cold spreading across his entire body, misery replacing the anger as the sinking realisation hit him. _No… I made the mistake. I told you I didn't want you with anything but a passing thought and you saw me for what I really was. I'm a liar, a coward, someone who can't even face their own past._

"I don't blame you." The words were surprising, and Ginny glanced back at him, confused. "Harry's a top bloke, I'm sure you'll have a…" Alex tried to control the heated tears that threatened to break free, "…_smashing_ time with him." He tried a smile that became something similar to a death mask, before hurrying away through the flurry of snow that had begun to fall.

Ginny stood and raced after him, her body a jumble of emotions that risked explosion onto the palest of snow. "Alex!" she cried, and he paused momentarily to stare back at her, red hair against the white of the falling snowflakes. It reminded him of some Muggle artist who particularly liked painting women with red hair. _Rembrandt? Monet? _As she emerged through the curtain of white the name appeared for him. _Titian. Of course._

She stopped in front of him, teeth chattering as the snow permeated her thin school robes. Alex motioned to give her his cloak but she shook her head. "I just wanted to ask you something else - before we agree to lie to each other for the rest of time."

Alex's face was questioning, and Ginny took this as an invitation to continue. "Why did Hermione really leave?"

There was no stopping the tears this time. The heat had dissipated from the frost and Alex felt defeated as he stood there, unable to control the emotions he felt. He hated not being in control, and this was one moment in his life that couldn't be repressed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, knowing that when he opened them, no matter what, Ginny would still be standing there, and she would want the truth. She _deserved_ the truth. So he told her.

"Because I didn't love her. Hermione left because I couldn't love her."

With his words, and Ginny's shocked stare, Alex turned and ran. He didn't know the effect they had on the Titian-like Virginia Weasley, standing in the snow, realising the implications of what Alex had just told her. As he raced towards the castle, to the safety of Hogwarts, he had no idea how irrevocably he had just changed his life.

As Ginny twirled in the snow, ecstasy mingled with fear in her mind. For who could know what might happen should Harry discover that her heart belonged to another …and that she held both of theirs in the palm of her hand?

***

"So, I told her to go fuck herself. Or, better, to go fuck Seamus, since that had to be the only good use he could put her to."

Alina Roeder stared at Lavender Brown in awed amazement. "Did you really? Did she… was she… angry?"

Lavender smirked, pleased that she had an audience. "Of course she was. But she hid it and burst into tears right on the spot." She shook her head, exchanging a knowing look with Alina. "Really, some people just don't understand friendship. She told me that she thought I'd be _happy_ for her - what an utter idiot! Yeah, sure, I'm _delighted_ that you stole the man I'm in love with!"

"What a bitch." Alina tutted Lavender with her index finger. "Still, maybe you were a little hard on her, telling her that you hated her and that if you ever got the chance, you'd hex her back to the hell she'd sprung from."

"_Hole,_" Lavender corrected. "And, as far as I'm concerned, she deserved it. Things like this help others grow as people, as witches and wizards. She's a dirty little skank and I don't want her to rub off onto me, or anyone else. Parvati Patil should be shunned for being the filthy little scrag that we all know she is."

Alina nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I'll make sure that all the other Ravenclaw girls hear of this, and act appropriately. After all, we can't have people running around acting in such a fashion. It simply isn't befitting of Seventh-Years, who are supposed to be setting an example for the other students of Hogwarts."

Lavender noted the Prefect badge that adorned Alina's school robes. _Figures,_ she thought bitterly, _you've simply gotta be perfect to become prefect around here. Yet another privilege Parvati received and I was passed over. Typical._

She sipped at the tea Alina presented her with, and smiled cordially at the attractive witch. "I simply adore your common room, Al! Gryffindor's is always so dark and dreary." Personally, Lavender was feeling rather affronted by the many shades of blue which covered the walls, ceiling, and were present in each ornament decorating the Ravenclaw common room, but she knew better than to voice her true opinion in the presence of someone in a higher position than herself.

Alina smiled graciously at the compliment. "Well, Lavender, we take much pride in our dwelling, as you have already noticed. Not one Ravenclaw does not respect and love this school enough to make it as beautiful as they see fit."

Lavender nearly gagged at the veiled insult to her own house, although, with the exception of Harry Potter and Co., the majority of them rarely did anything against the school rules. She was about to respond equally courteously when she heard a loud crash come from the hallway outside the common room. Angry whispering could be heard through the secret doorway, and both Alina and Lavender moved closer, their curious, gossiping minds instantly piqued.

"I'm exceedingly sorry, my lord, but without the correct password…"

"I can tell you all the others, just not this one! _Blubber, Stoat Snouts, Jellied Eels, Arigato, PEELED KNEAZLE -_ Oh, I _hate_ this school!"

Horrified, Alina muttered the current password underneath her breath to the door, softly enough that even Lavender's sharp ears couldn't decipher it, and the wall slid away into itself, revealing a flustered looking suit of armour and a sheepish tall boy with black hair. 

Alina rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed." She reached forward and pulled the boy inside the room. She nodded towards the tarnished armour, and patted him on the shoulder affectionately. "I apologise most humbly, Sir Tiernan. I assure you that this shan't occur again."

"Oh, my dear mistress Roeder! Nevermind the children forgetting the passwords - happens quite regularly, I must say. No need to apologise!" Alex bristled at the reference, and was about to respond when Alina motioned for the portal to close. 

She hit Alex on the shoulder, eyes blazing. "Are you completely stupid, Herr Kohl? Or do you simply enjoy irritating people?"

Alex raised his eyebrows. "No… I just forgot the password."

"Well, then let's not yell out every other single password for just about _anyone to hear!_" Alex followed Alina's gaze and rested his eyes on the emerald ones of Lavender Brown.

"Lavender!" he exclaimed, and she smiled flirtatiously back at him. "What are you doing over here, in the horrors of the never-ending blue?" She tried to smother a grin, and hoped that Alina hadn't noticed. "Come, sit by the fire with me… it's freezing in here, I must say!" He grasped her around the shoulders and led her away from Alina, who stood, unable to move, in the doorway until she was bowled over by a group of wet, snow-covered second-years fresh from a snowball fight.

As Alex sat with Lavender by the fire, she snuck an occasional glance at him, amazed that she was sitting here with him - that he had chosen her to speak to out of the entire Ravenclaw common room. _Sure, there's only Alina and some third-years… _But, to Lavender, it was still a privilege. She noted the way the firelight flickered over his face, his rounded nose, his slightly-flawed lips. Lavender saw his eyes change from blue to purple in the red hue of the fire, and couldn't help a smile as she thought this through inside her head. _Purple… Lavender. Could this be fate that I was sitting here, speaking about Seamus to Alina and meeting the man of my dreams?_

Alex saw her looking at him and smiled at Lavender, who felt her heart melt at the sight of his face flooded with light from the fire. He leaned forward, and began whispering to her. "Lav, what happened with you and Seamus?"

The moment faded. "Oh, well… I guess he just decided he preferred Parvati to me." She felt her face flush with the remembrance of the way she had thrown herself at Seamus even though in reality she had known he had no interest in her. Alex, thinking this was embarrassment of a different kind, placed his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Lavender heard her voice continuing to speak although she had no idea what she was saying.

"So, I really didn't know what to do. I mean, my best friend and Seamus… I loved him, y'know? And it takes a while to realise what's going on, to take it all in. I still don't understand. Can barely stand sleeping in the same room as Par… her." As she mumbled to herself Alex shushed her gently and she felt herself beginning to cry softly. _What have I done? I told my best friend I hated her just because I didn't want her to be happy. I'm the worst person I've ever met._

As Lavender was mentally berating herself, Alex was formulating a plan in his mind. _I need to get to the Yule Ball and see Ginny, but I need a partner. Maybe I can help Lavender retrieve Seamus and catch Gin all at once._ But, in reality, Alex knew that this could make matters worse. He might provoke a fight between Parvati and Lavender that could've been prevented by him not saying the words. He knew that by asking Lavender to the Ball he wouldn't be helping anyone. 

Except himself.

But as Alex sat in the Ravenclaw common room, Lavender Brown sobbing into his navy-blue cloak, Ginny standing outside in the snow thinking of him, he also knew what he had to do.

"Lavender," his fingers drifted to her jawline, and he lifted her face until it was level with his. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

The answer was obvious. With nowhere to go, and no one to run to, who would refuse an offer from the most gorgeous man this side of Dorset? But Lavender spoke it anyway.

"Yes."

***

HOW SCREWED HAS EVERYTHING BECOME?! Give me your thoughts on the subject in your wonderful reviews… or, you mightn't live to see the next chapter, appropriately titled "'The Yule Ball' - and all that happened there". Even juicer than a 50c romance novel.


	9. The Yule Ball

Disclaimer: The "Wizard's Directory", Alex Nagle, Carlina Tyrsorg, The Potion and all the increasingly strange behaviour which abounds in this chapter of "Playground Love" belongs to me. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

It's been a month since the last one. I don't know how long it will take more for the next one. This and Chapter Ten go together, and all will be revealed then. This chapter is rated R for language (F) and for sexual connotations. I apologise for the "jumpiness" this chapter managed to retain - reading from beginning to end is not necessarily order of events. Piece them together for yourself until the next chapter arrives which will give more clues. 

I hope you enjoy this next chapter of the saccharine, the romantic, and the downright tragic:

PLAYGROUND LOVE.

***

****

Chapter Nine

"The Yule Ball"

I'm so tired of playing

Playing with my bow and arrow

Gonna give my heart away

Leave it to the other girls to play.

For I've been a temptress, too long…

A flurry of activity. Streamers dipped and rose over broad beams, tiny lanterns hovered mid-air. A punchbowl magically filled with a sweet-smelling red liquid. Little creatures with large ears raced around madly, shrieks emitting from their mouths every second moment. 

One of them, wearing one pink sock with a purple bobble on his left ear, called out to his fellows excitedly. "It is time, Dobby knows!" Another of the creatures grinned at him happily, the twin of Dobby's earmuff warming her right ear, and he could hardly control his wavering voice as he cried out shrilly: "Open the doors! The feast is begun!"

***

"Parvati, are you sure we should be doing this…?"

"What d'ya mean?" she asked between passionate breaths.

"It's just… Seamus… he'll be devastated."

She grasped at his silky hair as it slipped through her fingers, the scarlet sliding across her brown skin. "Lavender can have him. All I want right now is you, Ron Weasley."

***

Ginny gripped her glass tightly as she stood on the edge of the dance floor, nervously watching Alex as he danced with Lavender Brown. To her mind, it was incomprehensible. _Lavender… Lavender Brown? Of all people to taunt me with…_She shook her head defeatedly, lifting the cup to her lips slowly, feeling a need to drown her sorrows if only in the pleasure of fruit punch. 

Just as she felt the fluid reach her throat, a hand grasped her shoulder firmly and she choked slightly. "I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Harry murmured softly into her ear, and Ginny fought the urge to cough. "I suspect that's not fruit punch in there."

"Why - ?"

"Don't. Trust me. You'll feel better in the morning for it."

Nodding cautiously, she placed the cup down on a nearby table, returning to find Harry's eyes fixated on the same spot her own had been only minutes earlier. Ginny watched him watch Alex, and noted the look of utter loathing that flickered across his face as he stood there. _I wonder what makes Harry hate him so. To me they're so similar, these stupid boys… never noticing what's lying right in front of them until they step in it._

A wicked thought entered Virginia's mind, and she immediately decided on a way to use this rivalry to her advantage. Grabbing Harry's hand, she pulled him close to her, running her hand slowly down the side of his waist. _This isn't me,_ something whispered to her deep inside, but she pushed it away. _So what? Fun is fun. _She put her other hand on Harry's cheek, and breathed: "Let's dance."

***

She let a soft moan escape her mouth as she felt his hand caress her thigh. She knew he was pleased with himself, as he always was when he had made another conquest. And this was no ordinary conquest - she was a flirt, but nothing more. He knew he was the first to come this far.

Pushing herself against him, she knew this was a conquest for her as well. How he would hate himself when he heard the words of rejection, now only moments away. A whisper came from nowhere and travelled from her mouth to his own. "You can squeeze my lemon, baby - juice runs down my legs." She had to smother a laugh at his pathetic sighing and groaning. _Soon._

He was close now. She could feel it. Almost. 

This was going to be so much fun.

***

Alex grimaced as the music hammered inside his head. Glancing to his left, he saw Harry, Ginny spinning on his arm, walking, turning, eyes locked, expressions mirroring the other. _Could he ever love her the way that I do? Or am I only imagining this. _The lights stunned him with shades of aqua and magenta, but he avoided looking forward in case he threw up at the sight of Lavender salivating again. 

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one brown eye steal a glance, and a smirk spread across his handsome face. _Nevermind how Harry feels. This is war. _Forcing himself to look upon the horrors that were Lavender Brown, from her hideously glittering chestnut hair to the pale green robes that matched her eyes exactly. Alex couldn't bear it anymore, but he pulled her towards him, and met her lavender lips with his own.

It wasn't, in all truth, _that_ bad. Lavender was a nice girl, a friend. She was gorgeous, even if her hair tended to temporarily blind him every time he forgot and looked upon it once more. In reality, she wasn't the problem. Alex just couldn't fit anything more than a pair of soft brown eyes and a shock of carrot-red hair into his mind right now - something that was appearing further and further from his reach as each day passed him by.

Separating from the kiss, he tossed his head defiantly to the girl who stood behind him… the one whose place had been filled by a group of fifth years who were giggling as they attempted a square dance. He searched the crowd anxiously but couldn't spot Ginny anywhere. Something that felt unmistakably like regret welled in his throat, and he felt what she was feeling. _Anger, hate, passion, hysteria, claustrophobia, sadness, tears, his hand on her cheek, his lips on her lips - pain. _

Lavender brought him back to earth as she collapsed to the dance floor. "Lav?!" he yelled, dragging her back onto her feet as her eyes flickered open for a moment. She groaned before she went limp in his arms, and he lifted her onto his shoulder and carried her out of the crowd. Finding a deserted corner, he placed her gently on the ground, then sat down beside her, waiting for her to regain consciousness.

After a few moments, Lavender came back to life and Alex smiled at her weakly. She tried to stand but he held her down. "Careful," he said softly, a concerned tone in his voice. "I don't want to lose you." He saw tears slide down her face and laughingly wiped them away. "It can't be that bad. Don't worry - crowds like that get me too. Can't hardly breathe in them, so you pass out for a while. It's alright as long as there's somebody there to catch you."

Lavender took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "It wasn't that. I… I saw Seamus. In the crowd. He was kissing Parvati's hand and - and they were leaving the hall. She told me that she was ready… that she wanted to give it away and that she knew whose it would be. Parvati - she never told me who it was, but now I know. It was Seamus all the time." Her sobs echoed in the small space, and Alex shushed her.

"Don't think, Lavender, just relax. It's going to be fine - you'll see."

She stared up into his beautiful grey eyes, and her heart felt as if it would burst. _Maybe destiny isn't inside a crystal ball, _Lavender wondered, _maybe it's inside you. I wonder if fate doesn't sometimes let us have a go ourselves. _As his face blurred into nothing but swirls of grey, Lavender closed her eyes.

"Oh, Alex… just kiss me. Kiss it all away."

***

"Carlina? I need to speak with you."

She rolled her eyes at him, and stumbled slightly as she shifted her weight. "Whatta you want, Potter?"

He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose before replying: "How did you do it? How can I ever repay you?"

Carlina coughed. "Huh? You're not makin' any sense, Potter."

"With Ginny. How did you ever convince her to come here with me? What do I have to do for you so that this isn't a one-off?"

She grinned smugly, downing the contents of her glass quickly. She saw Harry eye it suspiciously, and she giggled underneath her breath. "N'matter, Potter. It was a favour that needs no repayment. B'sides," she added, venom in her previously sweet voice, "just as long as Nagle's outta the way… after what he's done, he doesn't deserve a normal life."

Harry nodded vehemently. "He's a menace. Anyone who can set a fire in a building without even thinking of the consequences is out of their mind…"

"No!" Carlina's eyes were flaming. "Anyone who can kill three people and then get away with it doesn't deserve to live themselves." She spat the words and Harry stepped backwards. Hot tears spilled down Carlina's face. "Why me? Why did he have to come here and shove it all back in my face again? He ruined my life, because now I'm supposed to be the role-model." She choked on a laugh and she pointed to herself for emphasis. "Me, Carlina. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I'm the youngest, the troublemaker. Why did they have to leave me all alone?" She crumpled to the floor and curled into a ball, crying into the carpet. 

Harry stood above her, unsure of what to do, unable to comprehend everything she had just told him. _Truly, the drunken rambling of a seventeen-year-old girl are more tragic than I could ever have perceived. _As he pondered this thought, Carlina raised her head momentarily, swaying to the faraway beat of the music before throwing up all over the bottom of Harry Potter's sapphire blue dress robes.

***

"Draco… stop."

"What?"

"I - I'm not ready for this."

"Like hell you aren't! I've been waiting for this all night, lady of the house."

"Don't call me that. I can't do this."

"Am I like all the others? Do you think you can use me up and throw me away? I don't care who you think you are, but no one ever screws with a Malfoy."

"It's not like that."

"You want me, I know it. I've always known it - I can tell that look in your eyes. You need someone like me, someone who'll strip you and hurt you and make you happy again. That is, unless you just hate me."

"No… Draco, I'm in love with you. I just need some time."

"Fuck you, Carlina. You talk about love but what do you know? I could have had you since fifth year but at least I made myself clear. It's now or never. This is your last chance. We were made for each other… we've both suffered because of our families and our obligations. This is one thing we'll never regret."

"Draco… I -"

"Save it for someone who cares, Carlina. I'll just go find some whiny fifth year who wants a real man."

"_No…_"

***

"And what are you doing, looking so lonely, Mr. Weasley?" Ron turned to see Parvati standing next to him, a flirtatious grin plastered across her pretty face.

He sighed heavily, sipping from the glass in his left hand. "Parvati. Hello. Why aren't you with Seamus?"

"Because I'm here with _you, _silly!" She tittered anxiously at her own joke, and Ron stared into the red viscous liquid inside his glass. Parvati peered over his shoulder and asked: "What are you drinking?"

"Punch." Ron drank the remainder before dropping the cup into a nearby trashcan. "Have you had any?"

Parvati nodded. "Mmmm. It's good."

Ron raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Yeah. _Good._"

Suddenly, Ron felt his arms begin to tingle, soon followed by his legs. The tingling gave way to a tired numbness, and he soon found himself leaning up against Parvati, who smiled at him. "Give in to the feelings, Ron. Tonight is special for everyone… especially for _you._"

"_Hermione…_" he mumbled, his thoughts churning in his head. An image of her flashed across his mind, lying on her bed, her hair fanned out behind her and tearless eyes full of an intense pain. "_I'm coming, Herm… I'm coming…_"

Parvati pulled him back down to earth. "You're mine now, Ronald Weasley. It took me six years, but you're finally mine." She pulled him towards her, and as she kissed him the image of Hermione melted away into drips of pink and purple.

***

Everything was jumbled already. What would a little more do? It was possible that it mightn't even work at all - the man who had sold it to him didn't exactly advertise in the Wizard's Directory. 

In the back of his mind, Dobby knew that no matter what, a little stirring in the pot could do more harm than good. But, then, _somebody_ needed to sort this school out. Enlisting Winky hadn't been an easy feat, but a present of one of Dobby's prized socks had ensured success. She was now the envy of the kitchen, if not the entire House-Elf community. And in Dobby's eyes there was no finer elf to wear such a prize.

"Just a drop or two," he had warned her, "we don't need much. Save the rest for another time." And there it was, perched on the table, and they were ready to begin. He gazed out at Winky and her sock, and excitement coursed through Dobby's veins. This was more exhilarating than the night Dobby had been given clothes.

"Open the doors!" Dobby cried, and the screams of the elf mingled with those of the students outside. "The feast is begun!"


End file.
